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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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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. object — an aim
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — a group
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mate — a partner
  7. present — there
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. mate — to breed
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. present — the time now
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. season — of the year
  15. present — a gift
  16. club — for dancing
  17. object — a thing
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. face — part of the head
  20. mate — a friend
  21. object — to protest
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — to point toward
  24. chair — to sit on

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