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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: can · cabinet · dip · tear · game · season · chair · mine

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. can — a tin
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. tear — from crying
  5. chair — a leader
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. can — a tin
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — a match
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. season — of the year
  16. tear — to rip
  17. game — wild animals
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. can — to be able to
  20. dip — to sink
  21. mine — for digging
  22. season — in sport
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. tear — from crying

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