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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bass — low music
  3. saw — the tool
  4. spell — a short time
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. stem — to come from
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. spell — letters
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. chair — a leader
  12. bass — the fish
  13. plane — a tool
  14. cap — of ice
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. spell — magic
  17. saw — the tool
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. cap — a lid
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. stem — of a plant

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