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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. present — a gift
  5. game — wild animals
  6. mine — for digging
  7. dip — to sink
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. chair — a leader
  14. hand — help
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. hand — in cards
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. present — there
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. present — the time now
  24. game — a match

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