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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. cap — a hat
  3. mug — a cup
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. club — a group
  7. charge — electricity
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. hand — help
  10. mug — a face
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. club — for dancing
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. mug — to rob
  15. chair — a leader
  16. cap — a lid
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. charge — a price
  19. charge — in control
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. hand — in cards
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. club — for golf
  24. cap — of ice

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