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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. staff — employees
  3. chair — a leader
  4. bulb — for light
  5. staff — employees
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. face — part of the head
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. staff — a stick
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. face — to point toward
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to click
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — to bear
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. branch — a division
  22. face — to confront
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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