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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. field — a subject
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. stem — to come from
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. toast — bread
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. field — for sport
  16. cue — a signal
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. cue — for pool
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. cue — a hint
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. field — farmland

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