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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. plane — a tool
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. swing — to play on
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. clip — for paper
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. pitch — completely
  14. swing — in golf
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. swing — music
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — goods
  22. clip — a video
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. clip — to cut

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