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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. capital — money
  6. court — for sport
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. sharp — clever
  10. capital — a city
  11. chair — a leader
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. mate — a friend
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. court — of law
  17. wax — to grow
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a partner
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. court — of a king

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