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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. drill — army training
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. land — ground
  7. roll — a cake
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. drill — the tool
  12. land — to come down
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. land — a country
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pitch — completely
  19. chair — a leader
  20. wax — to grow
  21. roll — a list
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — to wash
  24. drill — a practice

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