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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mouse · lie · wave · degree · chair · calf · coach · stick

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. degree — an amount
  3. lie — to recline
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. chair — a leader
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. degree — from a university
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. degree — temperature
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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