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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pop — to visit
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. chair — a leader
  7. content — happy
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. mine — for digging
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. object — a thing
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. object — an aim
  17. content — the amount
  18. pop — soda
  19. object — to protest
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. pop — music
  22. saw — the tool
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — in cards

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