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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. field — a subject
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. lean — thin
  16. field — for sport
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. lean — to bend
  23. rest — a break
  24. field — farmland

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