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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 120 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: wake · clip · mate · mark · object · temple · cap · chair

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. cap — a hat
  3. object — to protest
  4. cap — a lid
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — for paper
  7. chair — a leader
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. mark — a trace
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a grade
  14. wake — a trail
  15. clip — to cut
  16. object — an aim
  17. object — a thing
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. cap — of ice
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mate — to breed

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