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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wound — an injury
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. chair — a leader
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — high quality
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mug — a cup
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. mug — to rob
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. kid — child
  20. capital — a city
  21. kid — to tease
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. mouse — for a computer

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