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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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. cue — for pool
  3. content — the amount
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bore — to tire
  6. content — happy
  7. deal — to handle
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. cue — a signal
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. cap — a hat
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. bore — to drill
  14. lean — thin
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — to bend
  18. cue — a hint
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a lid
  24. mine — belonging to me

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