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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. track — a path
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. scale — size or range
  5. net — after costs
  6. stem — to come from
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. cold — not warm
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. scale — in music
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. chair — a leader
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bore — to drill
  16. net — for catching
  17. cold — an illness
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. track — to keep track
  21. ball — a dance
  22. track — a song
  23. bore — to tire
  24. net — in sport

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