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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 120 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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. scale — in music
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. cue — for pool
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. band — a ring
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. vault — a safe
  11. row — a line
  12. chair — a leader
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bulb — for light
  15. band — a music group
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cue — a signal
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bulb — for light
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. cap — of ice

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