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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. hand — help
  6. key — the most important part
  7. land — ground
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. mark — a grade
  10. land — to come down
  11. chair — a leader
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. key — in music
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. key — for a lock
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. mate — a partner
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. mate — to breed
  21. wax — to grow
  22. mark — a trace
  23. hand — in cards
  24. mate — a friend

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