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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. drill — a practice
  3. present — there
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cold — an illness
  6. key — in music
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — the tool
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a leader
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. key — for a lock
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. cold — not warm
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. present — a gift
  20. key — the most important part
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. leaves — of a tree

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