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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. suit — in cards
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a leader
  8. season — of the year
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bark — to shout
  13. mug — a face
  14. season — in sport
  15. suit — to fit
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. chest — a box
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. mug — to rob
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your body

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