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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. cap — of ice
  3. chair — a leader
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. mark — a grade
  7. cap — a lid
  8. rest — what's left
  9. object — an aim
  10. track — a song
  11. track — a path
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — a break
  15. object — to protest
  16. mark — a trace
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — rain
  23. object — a thing
  24. track — to keep track

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