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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mark — a grade
  5. land — a country
  6. chair — a leader
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. cap — of ice
  9. dip — to sink
  10. land — ground
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. land — to come down
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bass — low music
  15. capital — a city
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. capital — money
  21. cap — a hat
  22. mark — a trace
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. saw — 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