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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  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. bear — the animal
  2. game — wild animals
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. kid — to tease
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bat — the animal
  9. chair — a leader
  10. kid — child
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. spell — magic
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. spell — a short time
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bear — the animal
  17. game — a match
  18. rush — hurry
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. spell — letters
  24. chair — to sit on

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