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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — a match
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. ground — a position
  7. fine — high quality
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. ground — the earth
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a leader
  14. ground — crushed
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. fine — all right
  22. pound — a weight
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. game — wild animals

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