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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. club — for dancing
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cap — a hat
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. drill — the tool
  9. chest — a box
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bear — the animal
  12. club — for golf
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chest — of your body
  15. club — a group
  16. drill — army training
  17. net — in sport
  18. cap — a lid
  19. chest — of your body
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — for catching

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