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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. mark — a trace
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mark — a grade
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. roll — a cake
  16. bulb — for light
  17. roll — a list
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the sport

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