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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. last — finally
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. last — final
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. cap — a hat
  10. chair — a leader
  11. cap — a lid
  12. last — to go on
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. cap — of ice
  15. present — the time now
  16. season — in sport
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. season — of the year
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. mine — for digging
  23. present — there
  24. present — a gift

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