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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mate — to breed
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. net — after costs
  7. bulb — for light
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. net — for catching
  10. mate — a friend
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. net — in sport
  15. cap — a lid
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bulb — for light
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mate — a partner
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. cap — a hat

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