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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — a match
  4. chair — a leader
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. fine — high quality
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. saw — the tool
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. clip — to cut
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. clip — for paper
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. plane — a tool
  18. clip — a video
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — a hole
  22. fine — all right
  23. saw — the tool
  24. dip — to sink

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