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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. net — for catching
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. face — to point toward
  6. net — after costs
  7. face — part of the head
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — a trail
  11. face — to confront
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bulb — for light
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. net — in sport
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bat — the animal
  24. fan — to cool the air

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