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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 116 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. present — there
  3. drill — a practice
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. land — a country
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. present — the time now
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. tear — from crying
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. tear — to rip
  13. swing — in golf
  14. drill — the tool
  15. land — ground
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. swing — to play on
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. drill — army training
  21. tear — from crying
  22. swing — music
  23. land — to come down
  24. present — a gift

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