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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. track — a song
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. season — of the year
  7. dip — to sink
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. swing — to play on
  10. track — a path
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. swing — in golf
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. swing — music
  16. chair — a leader
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. season — in sport
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. track — to keep track
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. stem — to come from

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