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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. cap — of ice
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. club — for golf
  6. scale — size or range
  7. cap — a hat
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. stem — to come from
  10. ball — a dance
  11. roll — a cake
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. scale — in music
  16. roll — a list
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. club — for dancing
  20. ball — a great time
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. cap — a lid
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. club — a group

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