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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. plane — a tool
  3. march — the month
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. mark — a trace
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. staff — employees
  8. march — the month
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pop — music
  11. cap — a lid
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. cap — of ice
  14. pop — soda
  15. pop — to visit
  16. fall — to drop
  17. march — music
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. fall — the season
  22. staff — employees
  23. chair — a leader
  24. staff — a stick

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