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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. roll — a cake
  3. pitch — completely
  4. court — for sport
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. court — of law
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. roll — a list
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. lean — thin
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pass — a permit
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. court — of a king
  24. pass — to succeed

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