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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. tear — from crying
  3. fall — to drop
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. bulb — for light
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. chair — a leader
  9. deal — to handle
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. key — the most important part
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. key — for a lock
  14. fall — the season
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. key — in music
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — a phone
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. tear — to rip
  23. fall — to drop
  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