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

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. tube — a container
  4. cap — a hat
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. club — for golf
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. club — a group
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. chair — a leader
  11. club — for dancing
  12. saw — the tool
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. saw — the tool
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. tube — the underground
  18. cap — of ice

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