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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bulb — for light
  3. scale — size or range
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. rest — what's left
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. rest — what's left
  10. band — a music group
  11. season — in sport
  12. chair — a leader
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. band — a ring
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. scale — in music
  19. march — music
  20. season — of the year
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bulb — for light

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