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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. rush — hurry
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. prune — to trim
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. drill — a practice
  8. lie — to recline
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. pound — a weight
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. prune — to trim
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. drill — army training
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. date — the fruit
  23. drill — the tool
  24. prune — the fruit

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