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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. tear — from crying
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. tear — to rip
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cap — a hat
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a line
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. root — of a plant
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. root — the cause
  20. pass — a permit
  21. tear — from crying
  22. cap — of ice
  23. chair — a leader
  24. root — of a word

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