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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. roll — a list
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. chair — a leader
  10. degree — temperature
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to bend
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. spell — letters
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. degree — from a university
  17. roll — a cake
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — magic
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. nail — on a finger

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