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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. ground — a position
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. ground — crushed
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mark — a grade
  8. deal — to handle
  9. mine — for digging
  10. ground — the earth
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. present — there
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. mate — a partner
  15. squash — to crush
  16. mate — a friend
  17. squash — the sport
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. chair — a leader
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. present — a gift
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. present — the time now
  24. squash — the vegetable

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