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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 124 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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. drill — the tool
  3. rash — hasty
  4. object — to protest
  5. object — a thing
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. object — an aim
  11. drill — army training
  12. rash — a series
  13. plane — a tool
  14. chair — a leader
  15. rest — what's left
  16. present — a gift
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. rest — a break
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. present — the time now
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. present — there
  24. drill — a practice

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