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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. season — of the year
  7. swing — to play on
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. swing — in golf
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. chip — to eat
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — in sport
  21. saw — the tool
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. swing — music
  24. hide — to keep secret

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