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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bowl · chair · calf · jam · cell · sharp · dip · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. dip — to sink
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cap — of ice
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. cap — a lid
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. chair — a leader
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to dunk

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