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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  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. chair — to sit on
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. land — a country
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. land — to come down
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. season — in sport
  11. chair — a leader
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — the most important part
  14. land — ground
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. pound — a weight
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. season — of the year
  23. key — in music
  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