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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. rash — a series
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. wound — an injury
  23. chair — a leader
  24. wound — an injury

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