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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  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. chair — a professorship
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. cold — an illness
  8. rule — a law
  9. content — happy
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. sharp — clever
  13. rule — government
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. prune — to trim
  16. plane — a tool
  17. content — the amount
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. prune — to trim
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. cold — not warm
  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