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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. content — happy
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. chair — a leader
  6. content — the amount
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. saw — the tool
  12. deal — to handle
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. board — a committee
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. foot — a measure
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. board — to get on
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. mouse — for a computer

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