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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. mug — a face
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. cold — not warm
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. chair — a leader
  10. cold — an illness
  11. wind — moving air
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. mug — a cup
  15. kick — in football
  16. mug — to rob
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. deal — to handle
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. mine — for digging

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