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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. deal — to handle
  3. rule — government
  4. net — in sport
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. present — the time now
  7. last — final
  8. lie — to recline
  9. rule — a law
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. chair — a leader
  14. present — there
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. squash — to crush
  17. last — to go on
  18. squash — the sport
  19. last — finally
  20. net — for catching
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. present — a gift
  23. net — after costs
  24. deal — an agreement

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