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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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Word bank
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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: cabinet · leaves · bound · suit · chair · rash · perch · sharp

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bound — obliged
  3. rash — a series
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. sharp — clever
  7. suit — in cards
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — certain
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. perch — the fish
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. suit — clothes
  22. suit — to fit
  23. chair — a leader
  24. leaves — lets stay

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