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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. chair — a leader
  3. face — part of the head
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. pit — a hole
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. face — to point toward
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. vault — a safe
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. mug — a cup
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. mug — to rob
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. pit — in a race
  19. bulb — for light
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. date — the fruit
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. bulb — for light
  24. face — to confront

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