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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.

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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. land — to come down
  4. foot — a measure
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. sharp — clever
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. present — a gift
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. present — there
  16. craft — boats
  17. land — ground
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. present — the time now
  20. chair — a leader
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. craft — a skill
  23. land — a country
  24. wake — a trail

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