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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. land — a country
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. hand — help
  5. kid — child
  6. file — a line of people
  7. chair — a leader
  8. file — a tool
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. pass — a permit
  11. land — to come down
  12. kid — to tease
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. deal — to handle
  15. land — ground
  16. ball — a great time
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. file — a document
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. ball — a dance
  24. hand — in cards

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