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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. chair — a leader
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bat — the animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. cap — a lid
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. root — of a plant
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. cap — a hat
  14. root — of a word
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. stand — to bear
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. game — wild animals
  19. root — the cause
  20. game — a match
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. toast — bread
  24. bat — for baseball

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