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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. mate — a partner
  5. wind — moving air
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. present — a gift
  10. shower — to wash
  11. foot — a measure
  12. mate — to breed
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. present — there
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. shower — rain
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. mate — a friend
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. vault — a safe
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. present — the time now
  24. wind — moving air

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