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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chair · present · fine · suit · kid · kick

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. kid — to tease
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fine — all right
  6. present — the time now
  7. chair — a leader
  8. suit — clothes
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. kick — in football
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. present — a gift
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. suit — to fit
  16. suit — in cards
  17. present — there
  18. kid — child

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