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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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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: bound · chair · cabinet · bear · game · dip · sharp · kick

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bear — the animal
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — clever
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bound — tied together
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a match
  14. bound — certain
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. chair — a leader
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bound — obliged
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bear — the animal
  22. kick — in football
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. chair — to sit on

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