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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. stand — to bear
  5. roll — a list
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. degree — from a university
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fall — to drop
  13. degree — temperature
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. roll — a cake
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. degree — an amount
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. plane — a tool

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