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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. chair — a leader
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. can — a tin
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. land — a country
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. land — ground
  14. land — to come down
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. sharp — clever
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. game — wild animals
  19. rock — music
  20. can — a tin
  21. content — the amount
  22. content — happy
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. game — a match

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