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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 120 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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. mate — a friend
  3. key — for a lock
  4. cap — a lid
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. content — happy
  9. mate — a partner
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. board — a committee
  12. key — in music
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cap — of ice
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. board — to get on
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. content — the amount
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. mate — to breed
  24. key — the most important part

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