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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a hat
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. present — the time now
  7. cap — a lid
  8. present — there
  9. hand — help
  10. fork — in a road
  11. present — a gift
  12. cell — a phone
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cell — in biology
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. chair — a leader
  20. stem — to come from
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. fork — a garden tool

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