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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. chair — a leader
  3. object — a thing
  4. ground — the earth
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. hand — help
  7. object — an aim
  8. object — to protest
  9. bear — the animal
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. rash — hasty
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. ball — a dance
  15. rash — a series
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bear — the animal
  20. ball — a great time
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. ground — a position
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rash — on the skin

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