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

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. roll — a cake
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. pop — to visit
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bat — the animal
  12. scale — in music
  13. pop — soda
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. fall — to drop
  16. scale — size or range
  17. roll — a list
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. pop — music
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. fall — the season
  24. chair — a leader

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