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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. drill — the tool
  3. staff — a stick
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a leader
  6. content — happy
  7. cap — a hat
  8. season — in sport
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cap — of ice
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. drill — a practice
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. pop — soda
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. drill — army training
  18. season — of the year
  19. mine — for digging
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. content — the amount
  22. staff — employees
  23. pop — to visit
  24. staff — employees

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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