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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. object — an aim
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. object — a thing
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rock — a stone
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. chair — a leader
  9. swing — to play on
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. field — for sport
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. object — to protest
  14. field — a subject
  15. rock — music
  16. swing — in golf
  17. date — the fruit
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. field — farmland
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. bulb — for light
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. swing — music

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