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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. mate — to breed
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. mate — a friend
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. fall — to drop
  8. date — the fruit
  9. fall — the season
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. fall — to drop
  13. mine — for digging
  14. dip — to sink
  15. bound — obliged
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bound — certain
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mate — a partner
  23. bound — tied together
  24. mine — an explosive

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