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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. pop — to visit
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — soda
  12. foot — a measure
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chair — a leader
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fine — all right
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. arm — a part of something

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