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

Word bank: cell · bore · foot · chair · saw · wind · stand · sharp

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. stand — to bear
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cell — a phone
  9. wind — moving air
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bore — to drill
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. foot — a measure
  15. saw — the tool
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bore — to tire
  19. sharp — clever
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. bore — gave birth

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