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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. foot — a measure
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. ground — a position
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. season — of the year
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. rash — hasty
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bear — the animal
  13. chair — a leader
  14. degree — from a university
  15. season — in sport
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rash — a series
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. degree — an amount
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. ground — crushed
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bear — the animal

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