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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. cold — an illness
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. deal — to handle
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. cold — not warm
  17. chair — a leader
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. root — the cause
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. root — of a word
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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