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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. ground — a position
  3. kid — to tease
  4. can — a tin
  5. ground — crushed
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. ground — the earth
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. kid — child
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. chair — a leader
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. date — the fruit
  23. sharp — clever
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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