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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. rule — government
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. rule — a law
  6. cap — a hat
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. tear — to rip
  10. cap — a lid
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. mine — for digging
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. mark — a grade
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. cap — of ice
  20. chair — a leader
  21. mark — a trace
  22. tear — from crying
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young animal

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