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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 116 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. content — the amount
  6. bulb — for light
  7. content — happy
  8. spell — a short time
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. spell — letters
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bass — low music
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a song
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. spell — magic
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bore — to drill
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. track — a path
  24. bore — to tire

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