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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 116 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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. charge — electricity
  12. wind — moving air
  13. hand — help
  14. charge — in control
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. charge — a price
  17. chair — a leader
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. hand — in cards
  24. bulb — of a plant

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