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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — a leader
  3. firm — decided
  4. bass — low music
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. can — a tin
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a ring
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. band — a music group
  12. cap — a lid
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. cap — of ice
  15. capital — money
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. firm — a company
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. stand — to bear
  21. bass — the fish
  22. cap — a hat
  23. capital — a city
  24. firm — steady

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