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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. mate — to breed
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. fine — high quality
  5. chair — a leader
  6. fine — all right
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. mate — a partner
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. last — finally
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. game — a match
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. dip — to sink
  17. last — final
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. last — to go on
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. mate — a friend
  24. stand — to bear

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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