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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rock — music
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bulb — for light
  18. saw — the tool
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rock — a stone
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. season — to add flavour

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