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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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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. swing — music
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. swing — to play on
  13. stand — to bear
  14. rash — a series
  15. mark — a grade
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. chair — a leader
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mark — a trace
  20. swing — in golf
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mine — an explosive

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