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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. mate — to breed
  3. land — a country
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. court — of law
  7. mate — a partner
  8. staff — a stick
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. court — for sport
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. court — of a king
  17. land — ground
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. land — to come down
  24. mate — a friend

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