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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. foot — a measure
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stem — to come from
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. stand — to bear
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. wind — moving air
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. sharp — clever
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stem — a stem cell

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