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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 120 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. tear — to rip
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. tear — from crying
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rule — government
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. rule — a law
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. hand — in cards
  19. chair — a leader
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bear — the animal
  23. saw — the tool
  24. racket — for tennis

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