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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. kick — in football
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. stem — to come from
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. capital — a city
  11. chair — a leader
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. squash — the sport
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. capital — money
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. squash — to crush
  24. deal — to handle

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