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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. kick — in football
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. dip — to sink
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. sharp — clever
  16. mate — to breed
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. row — a line
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. mate — a partner
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — to paddle
  24. kick — with a leg

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