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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. cap — a hat
  3. scale — in music
  4. chair — a leader
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. cap — a lid
  7. chip — for betting
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bound — certain
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. bound — obliged
  16. cap — of ice
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chest — a box
  20. scale — size or range
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — to grow
  24. chest — of your body

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