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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. spell — magic
  3. cap — a lid
  4. chair — a leader
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — the animal
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. spell — letters
  12. cap — of ice
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. staff — a stick
  15. wax — to grow
  16. staff — employees
  17. spell — a short time
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. cap — a hat
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. coach — a trainer

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