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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a match
  5. mug — a face
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. present — a gift
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. present — the time now
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. cold — an illness
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. mug — to rob
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. present — there
  23. cold — not warm
  24. game — a kind of play

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