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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. face — part of the head
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mark — a trace
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bark — to shout
  10. court — for sport
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. mark — a grade
  14. current — electric
  15. face — to point toward
  16. court — of law
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. face — to confront
  19. current — happening now
  20. court — of a king
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. current — of water

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