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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. can — to be able to
  3. net — in sport
  4. cap — a hat
  5. net — for catching
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. rash — a series
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cap — a lid
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. can — a tin
  14. net — after costs
  15. cap — of ice
  16. chair — a leader
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. can — a tin
  24. bowl — a dish

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