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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. chair — a leader
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a document
  7. stem — to come from
  8. game — a match
  9. cap — of ice
  10. board — to get on
  11. board — a committee
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. game — wild animals
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. lean — thin
  20. cap — a lid
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. file — a line of people
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — to rest against

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