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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. can — to be able to
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. chair — a leader
  7. cap — a lid
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. last — finally
  10. last — final
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. cap — of ice
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. cap — a hat
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. last — to go on
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. rock — music

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