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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bulb · pop · mark · chest · stick · dip · chair · fork

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bulb — for light
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. mark — a trace
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bulb — for light
  13. fork — in a road
  14. pop — soda
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. dip — to sink
  17. mark — a grade
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. pop — to visit
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pop — 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