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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. plane — a tool
  3. bear — the animal
  4. rule — government
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chest — of your body
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. cap — a lid
  9. tube — the underground
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. bear — the animal
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rule — a law
  14. cap — a hat
  15. drill — army training
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. drill — the tool
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. tube — a container
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. chest — a box
  23. chair — a leader
  24. drill — a practice

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