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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. fine — high quality
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. mark — a grade
  6. prune — to trim
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. shower — rain
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. shower — to wash
  11. land — to come down
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. land — a country
  15. chair — a leader
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. land — ground
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. prune — to trim
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — for sport
  23. mark — a trace
  24. fine — all right

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