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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. chair — a leader
  4. wind — moving air
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. saw — the tool
  10. season — in sport
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bulb — for light
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — after costs
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. season — of the year
  20. pass — a permit
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. pass — to spend time

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