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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. chair — a leader
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — final
  6. court — of a king
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bark — to shout
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. court — for sport
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. court — of law
  14. cap — a hat
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — a permit
  18. cap — a lid
  19. scale — in music
  20. last — finally
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. cap — of ice
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. chair — to sit on

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