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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. mark — a grade
  3. can — to be able to
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. can — a tin
  6. chair — a leader
  7. season — in sport
  8. can — a tin
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. suit — in cards
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. suit — clothes
  14. suit — to fit
  15. kid — child
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. season — of the year
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. content — the amount
  20. mark — a trace
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — thin
  24. content — happy

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