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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cap — a lid
  4. chair — a leader
  5. cap — a hat
  6. mine — for digging
  7. cap — of ice
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. cell — in biology
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. fine — all right
  17. cell — a phone
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. board — a committee
  20. fine — high quality
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. snap — to click
  24. board — to get on

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