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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. chair — a leader
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. cold — not warm
  6. fine — all right
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. cold — an illness
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. drill — the tool
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. wax — to grow
  22. drill — army training
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. pitch — completely

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