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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. rule — government
  3. cap — a lid
  4. rule — a law
  5. cap — of ice
  6. tube — a container
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. cap — a hat
  10. kid — to tease
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — a leader
  13. tube — the underground
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a skill
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. lean — thin
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. dip — to sink
  24. lean — to bend

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