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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — the most important part
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. lean — to bend
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rest — what's left
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. chair — a leader
  13. net — after costs
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bulb — for light
  17. net — in sport
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. net — for catching
  20. dip — to sink
  21. key — in music
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. lean — thin
  24. chair — to sit on

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