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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. present — a gift
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. present — the time now
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. mine — for digging
  8. snap — to click
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. content — the amount
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. content — happy
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. sharp — clever
  17. present — there
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. chair — a leader
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. vault — a safe
  24. mark — a trace

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