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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 120 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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. field — for sport
  6. face — to point toward
  7. rock — a stone
  8. chest — of your body
  9. field — a subject
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pass — a permit
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wind — moving air
  15. chest — of your body
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to confront
  18. rock — music
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. chest — a box
  21. bulb — for light
  22. chair — a leader
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. field — farmland

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