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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mug — a cup
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. drill — a practice
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. mug — to rob
  9. drill — the tool
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. mug — a face
  12. mate — to breed
  13. tear — from crying
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. mate — a friend
  16. tear — to rip
  17. drill — army training
  18. mate — a partner

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