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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. capital — a city
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. capital — money
  5. row — a line
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. pitch — completely
  8. kid — child
  9. row — to paddle
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. vault — a safe
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. cap — of ice
  18. kid — to tease
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — a lid
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. ruler — a monarch

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