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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. cap — a hat
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. race — a contest
  6. net — in sport
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. land — ground
  10. land — a country
  11. saw — the tool
  12. race — humankind
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cap — a lid
  17. saw — the tool
  18. land — to come down
  19. race — the arms race
  20. net — for catching
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. net — after costs
  23. chair — a leader
  24. fan — a supporter

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