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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — of ice
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. chair — a leader
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — of water
  16. cap — a lid
  17. perch — the fish
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. spring — a coil
  24. perch — for a bird

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