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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bank — for money
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. rash — hasty
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. content — happy
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. content — the amount
  16. plane — a tool
  17. bank — for money
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bank — of a river
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. rash — a series
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. content — videos and posts

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