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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 120 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  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. mine — an explosive
  2. march — music
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. chair — a leader
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mine — for digging
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. staff — a stick
  14. fine — all right
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. march — the month
  17. wind — moving air
  18. staff — employees
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. march — the month
  21. dip — to sink
  22. staff — employees
  23. fine — high quality
  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