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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — a leader
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. last — final
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. march — music
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. content — happy
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. content — the amount
  17. march — the month
  18. last — to go on
  19. march — the month
  20. lie — to recline
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. last — finally
  24. nail — for a hammer

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