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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.

Make a worksheet

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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. file — a document
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. saw — the tool
  6. file — a tool
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — to crush
  10. game — wild animals
  11. chair — a leader
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. rock — music
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. object — a thing
  16. dip — to sink
  17. file — a line of people
  18. game — a match
  19. rock — a stone
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. object — an aim
  23. object — to protest
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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