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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 120 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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. band — a ring
  4. foot — a measure
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. stem — to come from
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. rush — hurry
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. band — a music group
  16. key — for a lock
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. chair — a leader
  20. game — wild animals
  21. mine — for digging
  22. key — in music
  23. game — a match
  24. key — the most important part

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