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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. season — of the year
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rush — hurry
  7. degree — temperature
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. chip — for betting
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. chip — to eat
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — from a university
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chair — a leader
  23. mine — for digging
  24. season — in sport

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