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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. prune — to trim
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. fall — to drop
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. chair — a leader
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. game — a match
  14. shower — rain
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. rest — a break
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. prune — to trim
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. calf — a young animal

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