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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. row — a line
  7. pit — in a race
  8. row — to paddle
  9. chair — a leader
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — for dancing
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pass — a permit
  15. land — a country
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. pit — a hole
  18. land — to come down
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. club — a group
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. land — ground

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