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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. ball — a great time
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rule — a law
  11. ball — a dance
  12. cold — an illness
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. cold — not warm
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. rule — government
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. chair — a leader

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