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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. saw — the tool
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. scale — in music
  9. saw — the tool
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. season — of the year
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. sharp — clever
  18. cell — a phone
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. plane — a tool
  21. chair — a leader
  22. season — in sport
  23. cell — in biology
  24. scale — size or range

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