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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. mate — a partner
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bound — obliged
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — of ice
  7. mate — to breed
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bound — certain
  10. rest — what's left
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. rash — a series
  14. bound — tied together
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. mate — a friend
  17. rash — hasty
  18. chair — a leader
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. rest — a break
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rest — what's left

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