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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. staff — employees
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. cap — a lid
  5. staff — employees
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. chair — a leader
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. wax — to grow
  10. net — in sport
  11. degree — from a university
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. net — for catching
  14. degree — temperature
  15. cap — of ice
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. staff — a stick
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. degree — an amount
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. cap — a hat
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. net — after costs

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