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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cap — a lid
  5. staff — employees
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. track — a song
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — a line
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. row — to paddle
  14. track — to keep track
  15. chair — a leader
  16. vault — a safe
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. staff — employees
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. staff — a stick
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. track — a path
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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