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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. file — a tool
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. date — the fruit
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. bear — the animal
  10. roll — a list
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. file — a line of people
  15. march — the month
  16. file — a document
  17. march — the month
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. march — music
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. roll — a cake
  24. bear — the 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