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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 120 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. cap — a lid
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a leader
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. rule — government
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. ground — the earth
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. ground — crushed
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. plane — a tool
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. rule — a law
  21. ground — a position
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. cap — of ice

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