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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bass · tear · cap · ball · chair · file · toast · mug

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. toast — bread
  4. ball — a dance
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. mug — to rob
  7. tear — to rip
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. mug — a face
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. cap — a hat
  13. ball — a great time
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bass — the fish
  16. cap — of ice
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bass — low music
  22. mug — a cup
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a document

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