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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. chair — a leader
  4. capital — a city
  5. suit — to fit
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. suit — clothes
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. scale — size or range
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — a grade
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bore — to tire
  18. saw — the tool
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bore — to drill
  22. suit — in cards
  23. scale — in music
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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