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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spring · cabinet · bat · mark · roll · cap · chair · hide

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. cap — of ice
  7. spring — the season
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. roll — a list
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — of water
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. mark — a trace
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. cap — a hat
  20. roll — a cake
  21. mark — a grade
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. hide — to keep secret

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