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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cue — for pool
  5. mug — a face
  6. cap — a lid
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. prune — to trim
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. tear — to rip
  11. cue — a hint
  12. net — after costs
  13. cue — a signal
  14. chair — a leader
  15. prune — to trim
  16. tear — from crying
  17. net — for catching
  18. mug — a cup
  19. tear — from crying
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mug — to rob
  24. cap — of ice

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