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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a leader
  3. firm — decided
  4. craft — boats
  5. land — to come down
  6. mate — a friend
  7. wax — to grow
  8. mate — to breed
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. firm — steady
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. band — a music group
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. firm — a company
  16. band — a ring
  17. land — ground
  18. land — a country
  19. mate — a partner
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. craft — a skill
  22. kick — in football
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. wax — for sculpting

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