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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pit — in a race
  4. chair — a leader
  5. content — happy
  6. scale — size or range
  7. mark — a grade
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. season — in sport
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. mark — a trace
  16. content — the amount
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. scale — in music
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — of the year
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. pit — a hole

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