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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  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. spell — letters
  2. object — an aim
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. object — to protest
  5. chair — a leader
  6. object — a thing
  7. spell — magic
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — a match
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. game — wild animals
  17. spell — a short time
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — to sink
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. board — to get on
  24. chair — to sit on

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