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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 116 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. cold — not warm
  4. suit — in cards
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. wax — to grow
  8. pass — a permit
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. suit — to fit
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. cold — an illness
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. suit — clothes
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — to tease
  23. field — a subject
  24. leaves — lets stay

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