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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. chair — a leader
  4. suit — in cards
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. spell — letters
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. spell — a short time
  11. suit — to fit
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. object — a thing
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. cell — in biology
  17. object — an aim
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. spell — magic
  21. sharp — clever
  22. object — to protest
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. cell — a phone

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