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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. can — a tin
  3. ground — a position
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. drill — army training
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. ground — the earth
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. can — a tin
  15. wake — a trail
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. drill — the tool
  19. chair — a leader
  20. toast — bread
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. can — to be able to
  23. drill — a practice
  24. ground — crushed

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