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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 124 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. land — a country
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. saw — the tool
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — ground
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. bear — the animal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — to crush
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. deal — to handle
  24. mouse — the animal

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