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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. chair — a leader
  4. cell — in biology
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. cell — a phone
  7. fall — to drop
  8. club — a group
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. club — for dancing
  13. club — for golf
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. present — a gift
  19. wax — to grow
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. present — the time now
  22. fall — the season
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. safe — out of danger

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