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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. hand — help
  5. mate — a partner
  6. ball — a dance
  7. object — an aim
  8. chair — a leader
  9. mate — to breed
  10. cap — a lid
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mate — a friend
  14. object — to protest
  15. field — farmland
  16. hand — in cards
  17. ball — a great time
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. object — a thing
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — of ice
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — a subject

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