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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. craft — a skill
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. craft — boats
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. fall — the season
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — to point toward
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. chair — a leader
  12. stem — to come from
  13. rush — hurry
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bass — the fish
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. fall — to drop
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. face — part of the head
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bass — low music

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