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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. season — of the year
  10. kid — child
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. season — in sport
  14. rock — a stone
  15. chair — a leader
  16. rock — music
  17. bat — the animal
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. fork — in a road
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. kid — to tease
  24. fork — a garden tool

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