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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. cap — of ice
  3. rush — hurry
  4. court — of law
  5. cap — a hat
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. chair — a leader
  11. mate — a partner
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. key — in music
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. key — for a lock
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of a king
  18. mine — for digging
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. cap — a lid
  22. key — the most important part
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. mate — to breed

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