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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 116 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. fine — all right
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. fine — high quality
  7. cell — a phone
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. ground — a position
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. craft — boats
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. ground — the earth
  18. cell — in biology
  19. sharp — clever
  20. ground — crushed
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. season — in sport

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