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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: lie · chest · chair · dip · cap · mine · ruler · track

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. track — to keep track
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. cap — a hat
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — for digging
  8. chair — a leader
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. chest — a box
  11. cap — a lid
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cap — of ice
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. track — a song
  16. chest — of your body
  17. lie — to recline
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. dip — to sink
  20. track — a path
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mine — belonging to me

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