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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. bass — low music
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. season — in sport
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. row — to paddle
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. fork — in a road
  16. row — a line
  17. mine — for digging
  18. chair — a leader
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. bass — the fish
  23. season — of the year
  24. bass — the instrument

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