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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. season — of the year
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in biology
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — of ice
  16. tear — from crying
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bulb — for light
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — to get on
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. board — a committee
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. season — in sport

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