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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — the animal
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. chair — a leader
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. bulb — for light
  10. content — the amount
  11. rock — music
  12. lie — to recline
  13. rock — a stone
  14. row — a line
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. content — happy
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bulb — for light

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