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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 120 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. can — a tin
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. cold — an illness
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. suit — in cards
  7. bulb — for light
  8. object — a thing
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. can — to be able to
  11. rash — a series
  12. suit — clothes
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bat — the animal
  18. can — a tin
  19. object — to protest
  20. cold — not warm
  21. suit — to fit
  22. bulb — for light
  23. chair — a leader
  24. object — an aim

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