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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. board — to get on
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. ground — the earth
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. wax — to grow
  13. ground — a position
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. bore — to tire
  16. ground — crushed
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bore — to drill
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. board — a committee

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