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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. saw — the tool
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bulb — for light
  9. stem — to come from
  10. mug — a cup
  11. kick — in football
  12. mug — to rob
  13. shower — to wash
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. chair — a leader
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. degree — an amount
  19. shower — rain
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. saw — the tool
  23. degree — from a university
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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