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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. cap — a hat
  4. swing — music
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. swing — in golf
  8. can — a tin
  9. field — for sport
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. chair — a leader
  13. cap — a lid
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. cap — of ice
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — a subject
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — a phone
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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