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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 120 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. can — a tin
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. can — to be able to
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. bark — to shout
  9. foot — a measure
  10. sharp — clever
  11. chip — for betting
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. season — in sport
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. can — a tin
  24. chip — to eat

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