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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  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. chair — a leader
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bear — the animal
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. stem — to come from
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a hat
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bear — the animal
  14. capital — money
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wound — an injury
  18. capital — a city
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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