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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. object — an aim
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. object — a thing
  6. key — the most important part
  7. bulb — for light
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. object — to protest
  10. chair — a leader
  11. key — in music
  12. bat — the animal
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a hole
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. squash — the sport
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bulb — for light

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