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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. chair — a leader
  4. club — for golf
  5. season — in sport
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. season — of the year
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. board — a committee
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. club — for dancing
  16. board — to get on
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — of ice
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. club — a group
  24. season — to add flavour

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