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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. ground — crushed
  3. pass — a permit
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. mark — a trace
  6. ground — a position
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. cap — of ice
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cap — a hat
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. band — a music group
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. cap — a lid
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. mark — a grade
  19. lie — to recline
  20. ground — the earth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. chair — a leader
  23. bark — to shout
  24. band — a ring

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