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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 116 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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468
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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. kick — in football
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. season — of the year
  5. rash — hasty
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. scale — in music
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. scale — size or range
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. rash — a series
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. kick — a thrill

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