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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. sharp — clever
  4. cap — a lid
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. staff — a stick
  7. chair — a leader
  8. staff — employees
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. staff — employees
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — crushed
  15. cap — of ice
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. pit — a hole
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. ground — the earth
  23. pit — in a race
  24. arm — part of the body

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