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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 120 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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. chair — a leader
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stock — shares
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a signal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. stock — goods
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. wax — to grow
  20. content — the amount
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. content — happy
  23. saw — the tool
  24. cue — a hint

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