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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. cap — of ice
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. chair — a leader
  6. roll — a cake
  7. fine — all right
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. roll — a list
  10. cap — a hat
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. fine — high quality
  13. cap — a lid
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — for betting
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ground — a position
  22. chip — to eat
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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