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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. chair — a leader
  3. cap — a lid
  4. mug — to rob
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. object — a thing
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mug — a face
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. cap — of ice
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. cap — a hat
  23. object — an aim
  24. date — the fruit

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