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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: straw · roll · present · wake · mate · suit · chair · cap

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. roll — a cake
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. present — there
  5. suit — clothes
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. mate — to breed
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. chair — a leader
  11. roll — a list
  12. present — a gift
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. mate — a friend
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — a lid
  17. present — the time now
  18. mate — a partner
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. suit — in cards
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. wake — a trail
  24. cap — of ice

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