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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. shower — to wash
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mark — a trace
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. shower — rain
  7. pop — music
  8. bulb — for light
  9. pop — to visit
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — a line
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. pop — soda
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mate — a friend
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. mate — to breed
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bulb — for light
  24. nail — on a finger

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