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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. cell — in biology
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. chair — a leader
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — a permit
  8. cap — a hat
  9. lean — thin
  10. row — a line
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. net — after costs
  13. cap — of ice
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. row — to paddle
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. lean — to bend
  23. net — for catching
  24. row — a quarrel

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