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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 120 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. track — to keep track
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bore — to tire
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bat — the animal
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. bulb — for light
  12. lie — to recline
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. track — a song
  15. board — to get on
  16. bulb — for light
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. board — a committee
  19. track — a path
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bore — to drill

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