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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  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. bay — a horse colour
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. hand — in cards
  5. pound — a weight
  6. rest — a break
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. hand — help
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. chair — a leader
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — letters
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. rest — what's left
  21. spell — magic
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wax — in the ear
  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