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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: content · chair · cue · mate · present · object · lash · spell

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. cue — a signal
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. object — to protest
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. mate — to breed
  8. chair — a leader
  9. cue — a hint
  10. spell — magic
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. spell — a short time
  13. object — an aim
  14. spell — letters
  15. present — there
  16. content — happy
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. present — a gift
  19. object — a thing
  20. cue — for pool
  21. mate — a friend
  22. content — the amount
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. mate — a partner

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