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

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  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. chair — a professorship
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — a match
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. lean — to bend
  6. ball — a great time
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. suit — in cards
  11. suit — clothes
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. ball — a dance
  14. suit — to fit
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. content — happy
  17. tube — the underground
  18. game — wild animals
  19. lean — thin
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. tube — a container
  22. content — the amount
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. chair — a leader

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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