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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. bulb — for light
  3. wake — a trail
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bulb — for light
  8. prune — to trim
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. ground — the earth
  11. prune — to trim
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. ground — a position
  17. season — of the year
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. ground — crushed
  20. chair — a leader
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. chair — to sit on

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