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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. net — for catching
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. season — of the year
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. suit — to fit
  14. net — after costs
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. chair — a leader
  17. net — in sport
  18. season — in sport
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. dip — to sink
  21. suit — clothes
  22. pitch — completely
  23. suit — in cards
  24. fan — a supporter

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