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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — a leader
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. capital — money
  8. bulb — for light
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — part of the head
  16. capital — a city
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bulb — for light
  22. face — to point toward
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — on the calendar

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