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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. spell — magic
  8. land — ground
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. land — to come down
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. chair — a leader
  20. bat — the animal
  21. spell — a short time
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. land — a country
  24. leaves — to go away

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