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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: cap · plane · race · saw · chair · trunk · lie · fine

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. cap — a hat
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. race — humankind
  6. fine — high quality
  7. plane — a tool
  8. race — the arms race
  9. cap — of ice
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. race — a contest
  14. fine — all right
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a leader
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. lie — to recline
  24. cap — a lid

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