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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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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. deal — to handle
  3. rock — music
  4. chair — a leader
  5. rock — a stone
  6. clip — for paper
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. clip — a video
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pass — a permit
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. clip — to cut
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. kid — child
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. kid — to tease

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