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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 116 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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. cap — a lid
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. staff — employees
  7. cap — of ice
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. row — to paddle
  14. chair — a leader
  15. cell — in biology
  16. wind — moving air
  17. cap — a hat
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. staff — employees
  20. cell — a phone
  21. wind — moving air
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. staff — a stick

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