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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. season — in sport
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chip — for betting
  5. bark — to shout
  6. pit — a hole
  7. cap — a hat
  8. season — of the year
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. row — to paddle
  16. cap — a lid
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — a line
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. wax — to grow
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. wax — in the ear

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