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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 · pitcher · cue · shower · row · season · sharp · object

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. object — an aim
  4. shower — rain
  5. cue — a signal
  6. object — to protest
  7. cue — a hint
  8. row — to paddle
  9. season — in sport
  10. object — a thing
  11. chair — a leader
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. shower — to wash
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. cue — for pool
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. season — of the year
  23. sharp — clever
  24. row — a line

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