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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. cap — of ice
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. date — the fruit
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. lie — to recline
  12. current — happening now
  13. chair — a leader
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a city
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — a hat
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. current — of water
  21. saw — the tool
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. current — electric
  24. date — on the calendar

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