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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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468
Word bank
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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. degree — an amount
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rule — government
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. hand — help
  14. degree — temperature
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chest — a box
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. chest — of your body
  19. degree — from a university
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. rule — a law
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chair — a professorship

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