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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 120 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. fine — high quality
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. shower — to wash
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. foot — a measure
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. board — to get on
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. board — a committee
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. scale — in music
  20. shower — rain
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. sharp — clever
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. chair — a leader

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