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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 116 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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. kid — to tease
  3. chair — a leader
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — child
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. stand — to bear
  14. bass — low music
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. plane — a tool
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. root — of a plant
  20. bass — the fish
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. root — the cause
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. root — of a word

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