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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 116 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bulb — for light
  3. swing — to play on
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mate — a partner
  8. swing — in golf
  9. bulb — for light
  10. face — to point toward
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. face — to confront
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. face — part of the head
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. mate — a friend
  20. pass — a permit
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. swing — music
  23. craft — a skill
  24. craft — boats

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