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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. lean — thin
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bass — low music
  6. prune — to trim
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. game — wild animals
  10. prune — to trim
  11. present — the time now
  12. mug — to rob
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. present — a gift
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. game — a match
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. lean — to bend
  19. mug — a cup
  20. chair — a leader
  21. present — there
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. bass — the fish
  24. safe — a strongbox

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