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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bulb — for light
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. land — to come down
  8. pop — music
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. land — ground
  15. chair — a leader
  16. pop — soda
  17. fork — in a road
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wind — moving air
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bulb — for light
  24. land — a country

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