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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. stem — to come from
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. vault — a safe
  7. cue — a hint
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cold — an illness
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. pit — in a race
  12. last — to go on
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. cue — for pool
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. cold — not warm
  19. pit — a hole
  20. chair — a leader
  21. last — finally
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. last — final
  24. cue — a signal

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