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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. ground — a position
  4. fork — in a road
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. wax — to grow
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. ground — the earth
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bound — certain
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. date — the fruit
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bound — obliged
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bound — tied together
  24. wax — in the ear

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