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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 116 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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. fine — high quality
  4. row — a line
  5. bulb — for light
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chip — to eat
  8. face — to point toward
  9. chair — a leader
  10. stock — shares
  11. season — in sport
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. stock — goods
  16. bulb — for light
  17. face — part of the head
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. fine — all right
  21. face — to confront
  22. row — to paddle
  23. chip — for betting
  24. bulb — of a plant

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