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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.

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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. fall — to drop
  4. net — after costs
  5. cap — a lid
  6. net — in sport
  7. chair — a leader
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. charge — in control
  11. sharp — clever
  12. foot — a measure
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. charge — electricity
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. cap — a hat
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. net — for catching
  19. charge — a price
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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