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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The water is too ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. pit — a hole
  3. suit — in cards
  4. pit — in a race
  5. can — to be able to
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. wind — moving air
  8. can — a tin
  9. chair — a leader
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cold — an illness
  14. saw — the tool
  15. suit — to fit
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. suit — clothes
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. can — a tin
  21. rock — music
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. cold — not warm

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com