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

Word bank: present · row · roll · mug · kick · chair · stick · wave

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. present — a gift
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. mug — a cup
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. row — to paddle
  13. roll — a list
  14. row — a line
  15. roll — a cake
  16. present — there
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a face
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. kick — in football
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chair — a leader

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