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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. club — a group
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. chair — a leader
  7. lean — thin
  8. rule — a law
  9. rule — government
  10. sharp — clever
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. cap — of ice
  15. land — to come down
  16. lean — to bend
  17. club — for golf
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. land — a country
  21. cap — a hat
  22. land — ground
  23. club — for dancing
  24. foot — part of the body

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