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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: stock · cap · leaves · lie · sharp · chair · game · ball

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. ball — a dance
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. cap — a lid
  11. chair — a leader
  12. sharp — clever
  13. ball — a great time
  14. cap — of ice
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. stock — shares
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — a match
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. lie — to recline
  22. stock — goods
  23. game — wild animals
  24. leaves — of a tree

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