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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. chair — a leader
  3. prune — to trim
  4. ball — a dance
  5. suit — in cards
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. face — to confront
  8. wind — moving air
  9. suit — clothes
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a great time
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. bulb — for light
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. face — part of the head
  21. bulb — for light
  22. face — to point toward
  23. wind — moving air
  24. field — farmland

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