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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. face — to confront
  3. bulb — for light
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. wax — to grow
  9. capital — a city
  10. track — a song
  11. face — part of the head
  12. track — a path
  13. chair — a leader
  14. rock — a stone
  15. face — to point toward
  16. rock — music
  17. track — to keep track
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. capital — money
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. bulb — for light
  24. jam — a tight spot

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