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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. cap — of ice
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. plane — a tool
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. band — a music group
  7. cap — a hat
  8. key — for a lock
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. track — a song
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. squash — the sport
  13. cap — a lid
  14. chair — a leader
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — in music
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. band — a ring
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. squash — to crush
  23. track — to keep track
  24. plane — in geometry

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