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

Word bank: bulb · kick · chair · cap · snap · present · tube · stand

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — a leader
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. tube — a container
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. present — a gift
  14. tube — the underground
  15. cap — of ice
  16. snap — to click
  17. stand — to bear
  18. present — there
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. cap — a lid
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. present — the time now
  24. kick — with a leg

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