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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.

Make a worksheet

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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  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. scale — for weighing
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. scale — in music
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bore — to tire
  13. scale — size or range
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. cell — in biology
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. cell — a phone
  21. bore — to drill
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. cell — in a prison
  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