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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. club — a group
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. rash — hasty
  5. club — for dancing
  6. season — in sport
  7. land — to come down
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. season — of the year
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. land — a country
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. lean — to bend
  15. land — ground
  16. lean — thin
  17. track — a path
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. track — to keep track
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. chair — a leader
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. club — for golf
  24. track — a song

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