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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. cap — a hat
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. date — the fruit
  6. tear — to rip
  7. rest — what's left
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. cap — a lid
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. cap — of ice
  16. rock — music
  17. chair — a leader
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rush — hurry
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. rock — a stone
  23. tear — from crying
  24. date — on the calendar

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