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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. chair — a leader
  3. pitch — completely
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. cell — a phone
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. present — there
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. row — a line
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. present — the time now
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — in music
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. row — to paddle
  20. cell — in biology
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. present — a gift
  23. rock — music
  24. chair — a professorship

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