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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. cap — of ice
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. capital — a city
  5. ball — a dance
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bass — the fish
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. roll — a list
  11. bass — low music
  12. capital — money
  13. mate — to breed
  14. ball — a great time
  15. cap — a hat
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. chair — a leader
  18. roll — a cake
  19. mate — a friend
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. cap — a lid
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. nail — for a hammer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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