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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. scale — size or range
  3. row — to paddle
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. charge — in control
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. prune — to trim
  8. chair — a leader
  9. spring — a coil
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. charge — a price
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. row — a line
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. saw — the tool
  17. charge — electricity
  18. spring — the season
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. scale — in music
  22. saw — the tool
  23. spring — of water
  24. pit — in a race

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