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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 120 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. chair — a leader
  3. present — there
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. fork — in a road
  8. present — a gift
  9. ground — a position
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. ground — the earth
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. clip — for paper
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. mug — a face
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — a video
  20. ground — crushed
  21. kick — in football
  22. mug — to rob
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. present — the time now

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