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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — to come from
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. chair — a leader
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. season — of the year
  13. chest — of your body
  14. rock — music
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rock — a stone
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. straw — a straw man

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