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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. firm — decided
  3. cue — a signal
  4. kick — in football
  5. rest — a break
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. cue — a hint
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wax — to grow
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. firm — steady
  13. spell — magic
  14. cap — a hat
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. firm — a company
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cue — for pool
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. spell — letters
  21. cap — a lid
  22. spell — a short time
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. rest — what's left

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