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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. squash — to crush
  6. hand — help
  7. last — to go on
  8. bore — to drill
  9. last — finally
  10. last — final
  11. squash — the sport
  12. chip — for betting
  13. swing — in golf
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. season — in sport
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. swing — music
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. season — of the year
  23. swing — to play on
  24. season — to add flavour

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