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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. can — a tin
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. pit — a hole
  10. land — a country
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. key — for a lock
  13. dip — to sink
  14. can — to be able to
  15. chair — a leader
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. key — in music
  18. land — to come down
  19. key — the most important part
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. land — ground
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pit — in a race
  24. can — a tin

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