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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. cap — of ice
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bank — for money
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. pop — music
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bank — for money
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. chest — of your body
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. chest — a box
  15. bank — of a river
  16. sharp — clever
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — to visit
  19. cap — a lid
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. craft — a skill
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chest — of your body
  24. craft — boats

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