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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. bear — the animal
  7. suit — clothes
  8. suit — to fit
  9. chair — a leader
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mine — for digging
  13. rush — hurry
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. suit — in cards
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. content — happy
  20. bear — the animal
  21. content — the amount
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. chair — to sit on

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