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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. bass — the fish
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. present — there
  5. chair — a leader
  6. present — a gift
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — of ice
  9. last — final
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. bass — low music
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. pound — a weight
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. cap — a hat
  19. last — finally
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. last — to go on
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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