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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 120 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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. ball — a great time
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. game — a match
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. chair — a leader
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. cap — of ice
  9. game — wild animals
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — the earth
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. ground — crushed
  15. cap — a lid
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. land — ground
  18. land — a country
  19. cap — a hat
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. ball — a dance
  23. land — to come down
  24. sharp — with an edge

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