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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. tube — the underground
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. tube — a container
  7. foot — a measure
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. capital — money
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bulb — for light
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bowl — a football final

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