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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bulb — for light
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. object — to protest
  5. object — a thing
  6. tear — to rip
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. net — for catching
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a leader
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. object — an aim
  21. tear — from crying
  22. net — in sport
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pitch — completely

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