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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. firm — decided
  3. bear — the animal
  4. chest — of your body
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chest — a box
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a hole
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. chair — a leader
  17. firm — a company
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. game — a match
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. firm — steady
  23. game — wild animals
  24. wake — a trail

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