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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
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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: cold · saw · game · dip · cabinet · lie · band · chair

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. game — wild animals
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. cold — not warm
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. game — a match
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. lie — to recline
  16. band — a music group
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. chair — a leader
  23. band — a ring
  24. dip — to sink

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