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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. chair — a leader
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. roll — a list
  5. rule — a law
  6. roll — a cake
  7. rule — government
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. cap — a lid
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. mark — a grade
  12. cap — of ice
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. land — a country
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. stock — goods
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. land — to come down
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. mark — a trace
  24. land — ground

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