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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. cap — a hat
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. march — the month
  5. cap — a lid
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cap — of ice
  12. chair — a leader
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. stand — to bear
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cue — a hint
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cue — for pool
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. fan — to cool the air

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