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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. fall — the season
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. net — for catching
  6. mine — for digging
  7. net — in sport
  8. toast — bread
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. scale — in music
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. fall — to drop
  16. stand — to bear
  17. scale — size or range
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. net — after costs
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. chair — a leader
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. fall — to drop

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