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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. chair — a leader
  3. cap — a hat
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a match
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. scale — size or range
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. last — finally
  12. swing — in golf
  13. season — in sport
  14. scale — in music
  15. season — of the year
  16. swing — music
  17. cap — a lid
  18. can — a tin
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. last — final
  21. swing — to play on
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. last — to go on

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