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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. fall — to drop
  3. firm — steady
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. hand — in cards
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. chair — a leader
  8. can — a tin
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. can — a tin
  11. firm — a company
  12. hand — help
  13. firm — decided
  14. content — happy
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. game — a match
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. fall — the season
  22. can — to be able to
  23. content — the amount
  24. fall — to drop

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