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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 116 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. chair — a leader
  4. court — for sport
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. fork — in a road
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. cap — of ice
  15. court — of a king
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — after costs
  19. cap — a lid
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. court — of law
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. net — in sport
  24. fork — a garden tool

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