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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 124 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. chair — a leader
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. spell — magic
  6. spring — of water
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. spell — a short time
  9. roll — a cake
  10. spell — letters
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. roll — a list
  14. spring — the season
  15. object — a thing
  16. object — to protest
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. spring — a coil
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. season — of the year
  22. object — an aim
  23. plane — a tool
  24. temple — side of the head

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