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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. net — for catching
  3. mug — a face
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. capital — a city
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. capital — money
  14. mug — to rob
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rock — music
  22. toast — bread
  23. wax — to grow
  24. mug — a cup

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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