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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. season — of the year
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — clever
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. wax — to grow
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. deal — to handle
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bore — to tire
  20. season — in sport
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bore — to drill

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