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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. cell — a phone
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. cap — of ice
  5. chair — a leader
  6. net — in sport
  7. cell — in biology
  8. scale — in music
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. staff — employees
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. staff — a stick
  13. cap — a lid
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. cap — a hat
  16. scale — size or range
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. net — after costs
  19. staff — employees
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. net — for catching
  22. craft — boats
  23. shower — rain
  24. craft — a skill

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