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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. chair — a leader
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. content — the amount
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. sharp — clever
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. content — happy
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. cell — in biology
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. leaves — of a tree

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