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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 116 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. cap — of ice
  5. dip — to sink
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. club — a group
  9. mug — a cup
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. club — for dancing
  12. sharp — clever
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. cap — a lid
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. chair — a leader
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — to rob
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. cap — a hat
  23. club — for golf
  24. dip — to dunk

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