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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. cap — a lid
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. cap — a hat
  6. shower — rain
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — a practice
  9. cap — of ice
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. chair — a leader
  13. present — there
  14. rock — a stone
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. present — the time now
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. present — a gift
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. rock — music
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — clever
  23. shower — to wash
  24. drill — the tool

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