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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. kick — in football
  5. rash — a series
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. chair — a leader
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rash — hasty
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. game — a match
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. row — a line
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. row — to paddle

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