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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 · fine · pit · march · nail · lash · chair · dip

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. march — the month
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a hole
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. march — music
  10. cap — a hat
  11. chair — a leader
  12. fine — high quality
  13. march — the month
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. cap — a lid
  20. fine — all right
  21. cap — of ice
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — to sink

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