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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: chair · mug · roll · foot · jam · cabinet · bay · tear

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. mug — a face
  3. roll — a list
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. tear — to rip
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. mug — a cup
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. mug — to rob
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. roll — a cake
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. foot — a measure
  23. foot — part of the body
  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