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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. game — a match
  3. firm — decided
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mug — to rob
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. firm — a company
  9. hand — help
  10. kick — in football
  11. mate — to breed
  12. hand — in cards
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. firm — steady
  15. game — wild animals
  16. present — there
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. mug — a face
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. present — a gift
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mate — a friend
  23. present — the time now
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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