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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 116 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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. chair — a leader
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. suit — in cards
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. suit — to fit
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bound — obliged
  11. suit — clothes
  12. bound — certain
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pit — in a race
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. pit — a hole
  21. fork — in a road
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. bound — tied together

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