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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. fork — in a road
  8. wake — a trail
  9. foot — a measure
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. band — a music group
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. band — a ring
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. net — after costs
  19. capital — a city
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. capital — money
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. pass — a permit

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