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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. mug — to rob
  3. cap — a lid
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. dip — to sink
  6. cap — a hat
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. cap — of ice
  14. squash — to crush
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for golf
  17. march — music
  18. chair — a leader
  19. club — for dancing
  20. mug — a face
  21. mug — a cup
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. ruler — a monarch

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