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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. object — a thing
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. pitch — completely
  6. object — an aim
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — for digging
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. dip — to sink
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. foot — a measure
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. object — to protest
  21. chair — a leader
  22. wax — to grow
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. wax — for sculpting

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