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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. field — for sport
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wound — an injury
  10. field — farmland
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. chair — a leader
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. field — a subject
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. fine — high quality
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. jam — a tight spot

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