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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — a leader
  3. fall — the season
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. dip — to sink
  6. spring — of water
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. fall — to drop
  9. spring — the season
  10. season — in sport
  11. ground — the earth
  12. fall — to drop
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. suit — to fit
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. spring — a coil
  18. suit — in cards
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — of the year
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — crushed
  24. suit — clothes

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