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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.

Make a worksheet

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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. ground — crushed
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. ground — a position
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. ground — the earth
  16. sharp — clever
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a dance

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