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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. chair — a leader
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. roll — a list
  7. roll — a cake
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. fine — all right
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fall — to drop
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fall — the season
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. fall — to drop
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. fine — high quality
  24. chair — a professorship

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