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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 · fall · chair · face · squash · bat · firm · shower

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. bat — the animal
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. bulb — for light
  5. shower — to wash
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. fall — to drop
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. fall — the season
  14. squash — to crush
  15. bulb — for light
  16. face — to point toward
  17. shower — rain
  18. face — to confront
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. face — part of the head
  21. firm — steady
  22. squash — the sport
  23. chair — a leader
  24. firm — a company

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