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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 116 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's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. face — to confront
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. face — to point toward
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. face — part of the head
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. tear — to rip
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. vault — a safe
  22. tear — from crying
  23. chair — a leader
  24. leaves — of a tree

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