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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. present — a gift
  3. stem — to come from
  4. ground — a position
  5. present — the time now
  6. track — a path
  7. ground — crushed
  8. net — after costs
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. net — for catching
  11. track — to keep track
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. net — in sport
  14. track — a song
  15. ground — the earth
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. present — there
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. chair — a leader
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pit — a hole

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