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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. roll — a cake
  3. cap — of ice
  4. chest — a box
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. pop — soda
  7. chair — a leader
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. present — there
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. chest — of your body
  12. present — a gift
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. cap — a hat
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pop — to visit
  18. lean — thin
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cap — a lid
  22. lean — to bend
  23. roll — a list
  24. present — the time now

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