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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. craft — a skill
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cap — of ice
  5. can — a tin
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. cap — a hat
  9. chair — a leader
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. can — to be able to
  12. cap — a lid
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. land — a country
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. craft — boats
  17. land — to come down
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. can — a tin
  24. cabinet — ministers

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