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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. band — a ring
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. season — of the year
  10. bass — the fish
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. deal — to handle
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. band — a music group
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bass — low music
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. wake — a trail

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