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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. field — a subject
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. bulb — for light
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. wound — an injury
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. bulb — for light
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. shower — to wash
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. shower — rain
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. field — for sport
  22. sharp — clever
  23. chair — a leader
  24. field — farmland

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