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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. saw — the tool
  3. key — the most important part
  4. cap — a hat
  5. row — a line
  6. bass — the fish
  7. key — in music
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — a coil
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. key — for a lock
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bass — low music
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. cap — a lid
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. saw — the tool
  20. row — to paddle
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. spring — of water

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