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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. content — the amount
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. prune — to trim
  7. present — there
  8. present — a gift
  9. present — the time now
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. content — happy
  14. chair — a leader
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bear — the animal
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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