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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  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. leaves — to go away
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. land — ground
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. perch — the fish
  7. net — in sport
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. net — after costs
  12. land — to come down
  13. mine — for digging
  14. net — for catching
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. land — a country
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. sharp — clever
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. chair — a leader

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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