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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. suit — clothes
  4. suit — in cards
  5. march — the month
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. lean — to bend
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — a measure
  10. march — the month
  11. suit — to fit
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. file — a document
  16. date — the fruit
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. march — music
  19. file — a line of people
  20. lean — thin
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. file — a tool
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. foot — part of the body

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