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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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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bore — to drill
  3. present — there
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. chip — for betting
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. chip — to eat
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — in sport
  14. cell — a phone
  15. court — of law
  16. court — for sport
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bore — to tire
  19. court — of a king
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. present — a gift
  23. present — the time now
  24. leaves — lets stay

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