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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. chair — a leader
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. tube — a container
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. ball — a dance
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. season — in sport
  13. last — finally
  14. chest — of your body
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tube — the underground
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. season — of the year
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. last — to go on
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. ball — a great time
  23. last — final
  24. calf — a young animal

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