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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 116 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. scale — size or range
  3. cap — a hat
  4. chair — a leader
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — to come from
  9. mate — to breed
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. scale — in music
  12. cap — of ice
  13. pop — to visit
  14. mate — a partner
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. object — an aim
  17. object — to protest
  18. mate — a friend
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. cap — a lid
  23. pop — music
  24. object — a thing

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