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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — music
  3. chair — a leader
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. mate — a friend
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. content — the amount
  8. last — final
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. mate — a partner
  12. scale — in music
  13. last — to go on
  14. content — happy
  15. present — the time now
  16. scale — size or range
  17. present — a gift
  18. rock — a stone
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. present — there
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. last — finally
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. mate — to breed

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