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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 120 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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. sharp — clever
  4. spell — magic
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. spell — a short time
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. bark — to shout
  15. chest — a box
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. spell — letters
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. chair — a leader

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