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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. cell — a phone
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. plane — a tool
  5. shower — rain
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. bound — obliged
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. chair — a leader
  11. cell — in biology
  12. bound — certain
  13. toast — bread
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. shower — to wash
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bound — tied together
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. cell — in a prison

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