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

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. file — a tool
  3. rock — music
  4. file — a line of people
  5. mug — a face
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. game — a match
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. game — wild animals
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. rock — a stone
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — to rob
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. file — a document
  18. deal — to handle

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