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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. chair — a leader
  5. object — a thing
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — for digging
  9. object — to protest
  10. kid — to tease
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. kid — child
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. court — of a king
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. court — for sport
  19. march — the month
  20. court — of law
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. lie — to recline
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. object — an aim

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