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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. net — for catching
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. craft — boats
  7. craft — a skill
  8. swing — to play on
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. pit — a hole
  12. swing — music
  13. game — a match
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. pit — in a race
  16. snap — to click
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. net — after costs
  19. swing — in golf
  20. net — in sport
  21. game — wild animals
  22. deal — to handle
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  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