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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. chair — a leader
  3. swing — to play on
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bulb — for light
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. spring — a coil
  11. swing — music
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. toast — bread
  18. spring — the season
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cue — for pool
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. swing — in golf
  24. spring — of water

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