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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: key · chair · rash · cap · board · stem · pass · dip

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. board — to get on
  4. key — the most important part
  5. pass — a permit
  6. key — for a lock
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. chair — a leader
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. stem — to come from
  13. cap — of ice
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. board — a committee
  16. key — in music
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. dip — to sink
  19. rash — hasty
  20. cap — a hat
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. cap — a lid
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. rash — a series

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