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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. tear — from crying
  3. land — to come down
  4. tear — to rip
  5. board — to get on
  6. cap — a hat
  7. game — a match
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. date — the fruit
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. board — a committee
  15. land — a country
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. cap — of ice
  18. game — wild animals
  19. chair — a leader
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cap — a lid
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. land — ground
  24. date — on the calendar

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