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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 120 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. face — part of the head
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cap — a hat
  6. craft — boats
  7. net — in sport
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. face — to point toward
  11. net — after costs
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. tube — the underground
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. chip — for betting
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. craft — a skill
  20. chip — to eat
  21. net — for catching
  22. face — to confront
  23. tube — a container
  24. cap — a lid

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