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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. chair — a leader
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — the fruit
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. staff — employees
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. staff — employees
  13. race — a contest
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rash — a series
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. prune — to trim
  19. race — the arms race
  20. staff — a stick
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. race — humankind

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