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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 120 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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bass — low music
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. chair — a leader
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. kid — to tease
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bass — the fish
  24. kid — child

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