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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. mug — a face
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. land — to come down
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — of the year
  7. roll — a list
  8. firm — decided
  9. land — ground
  10. chair — a leader
  11. firm — steady
  12. prune — to trim
  13. roll — a cake
  14. prune — to trim
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. ground — a position
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. land — a country
  19. mug — to rob
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. season — in sport
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — crushed
  24. mug — a cup

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