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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. toast — bread
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. chair — a leader
  5. shower — to wash
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. shower — rain
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. snap — to click
  15. wax — to grow
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bore — to drill
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bore — to tire
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. calf — a young animal

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