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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. present — there
  3. bulb — for light
  4. deal — to handle
  5. present — the time now
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. land — a country
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. land — ground
  20. present — a gift
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. chair — a leader
  23. tear — from crying
  24. coach — a trainer

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