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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. roll — a list
  4. last — finally
  5. last — final
  6. ground — a position
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. ground — crushed
  9. season — of the year
  10. mate — to breed
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. chip — to eat
  13. season — in sport
  14. last — to go on
  15. roll — a cake
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. mate — a friend
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. foot — a measure
  23. mate — a partner
  24. ground — the earth

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