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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 ________________ took off on time.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. saw — the tool
  4. ground — crushed
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. chair — a leader
  8. season — in sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. ground — the earth
  11. saw — the tool
  12. ground — a position
  13. season — of the year
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. field — for sport
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. field — a subject
  22. bulb — for light
  23. plane — a tool
  24. season — to add flavour

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