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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. cap — a hat
  3. ball — a great time
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. chair — a leader
  8. scale — in music
  9. pass — a permit
  10. net — in sport
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. net — for catching
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. kick — in football
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. scale — size or range
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. net — after costs
  19. cap — of ice
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — to shout
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. cap — a lid

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