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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. can — a tin
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. plane — a tool
  7. field — farmland
  8. sharp — clever
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. can — to be able to
  14. wax — to grow
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. field — for sport
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. can — a tin
  23. field — a subject
  24. sharp — exactly

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