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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. firm — steady
  3. row — to paddle
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cold — an illness
  6. mine — for digging
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. row — a line
  10. firm — decided
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chip — to eat
  16. firm — a company
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. kick — in football
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. cold — not warm

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