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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. firm — a company
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. firm — decided
  5. cell — in biology
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. cell — a phone
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. chest — of your body
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. chest — a box
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fork — in a road
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — to sit on

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