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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — a leader
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. pop — soda
  6. bulb — for light
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — a video
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bulb — for light
  14. key — for a lock
  15. current — of water
  16. key — in music
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. current — electric
  20. key — the most important part
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — to visit
  24. current — happening now

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