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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. sharp — clever
  3. tube — the underground
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. object — to protest
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. object — an aim
  8. mark — a trace
  9. capital — money
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — to drill
  14. capital — a city
  15. mark — a grade
  16. tube — a container
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. ground — a position
  19. object — a thing
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. chair — a leader
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. sharp — with an edge

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