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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. cap — a lid
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. can — a tin
  5. mark — a trace
  6. can — to be able to
  7. ground — a position
  8. swing — to play on
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a hat
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. fork — in a road
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. can — a tin
  18. wake — a trail
  19. ground — the earth
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. chair — a leader
  22. ground — crushed
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — in golf

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