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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. mug — a cup
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. shower — to wash
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. shower — rain
  9. season — of the year
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — a leader
  17. mug — a face
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — in sport
  21. deal — to handle
  22. game — wild animals
  23. mug — to rob
  24. chair — to sit on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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