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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — hurry
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. bore — to drill
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. fine — all right
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bore — to tire
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. fine — high quality
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. pound — a weight
  24. temple — a place of worship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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