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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a trace
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. drill — the tool
  6. rush — hurry
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. cell — in biology
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. craft — boats
  14. drill — army training
  15. game — wild animals
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. cell — a phone
  18. craft — a skill
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. game — a match
  21. mark — a grade
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. drill — a practice
  24. cell — in a prison

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