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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — clever
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a skill
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. ground — the earth
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. scale — in music
  13. ground — crushed
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — size or range
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. land — ground
  18. ground — a position
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — a country
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. chair — a professorship

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