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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 120 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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. pop — music
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cell — in biology
  6. last — final
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — to bend
  10. last — finally
  11. cell — a phone
  12. pop — soda
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bear — the animal
  15. chair — a leader
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pop — to visit
  20. last — to go on
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. bear — the animal
  23. lean — thin
  24. cell — in a prison

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