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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: chair · bore · stick · row · bound · mate · cap · cue

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bound — tied together
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bound — certain
  8. row — a line
  9. cue — for pool
  10. mate — a partner
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. row — to paddle
  13. mate — a friend
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cue — a signal
  16. mate — to breed
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cap — of ice
  20. bore — to drill
  21. cap — a hat
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bound — obliged
  24. chair — to sit on

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