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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. chair — a leader
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — a group
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. net — after costs
  10. tube — a container
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. club — for dancing
  14. net — in sport
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. pass — a permit
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bulb — for light
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. net — for catching
  24. tube — in a 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