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

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. lie — to recline
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. spring — a coil
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. swing — in golf
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. fall — the season
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. stock — shares
  16. swing — music
  17. deal — to handle
  18. chair — a leader
  19. spring — of water
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. swing — to play on
  22. stock — goods
  23. fall — to drop
  24. chair — to sit on

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