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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. spell — a short time
  4. ball — a great time
  5. bat — the animal
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. mate — a partner
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mate — to breed
  11. chair — a leader
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. ball — a dance
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. mate — a friend
  20. cell — in biology
  21. bulb — for light
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — letters
  24. calf — a young 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