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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. object — an aim
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. foot — a measure
  5. object — a thing
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. key — the most important part
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. object — to protest
  10. cap — a hat
  11. key — in music
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. cap — a lid
  18. key — for a lock
  19. cap — of ice
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. date — the fruit
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. pitcher — a jug

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