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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.

Make a worksheet

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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. game — a match
  8. bear — the animal
  9. track — a path
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. march — the month
  12. bear — the animal
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. march — the month
  17. dip — to sink
  18. game — wild animals
  19. march — music
  20. track — a song
  21. track — to keep track
  22. chair — a leader
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. dip — to dunk

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