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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 120 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. kid — to tease
  4. firm — steady
  5. chair — a leader
  6. rash — a series
  7. firm — a company
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. cue — a hint
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cell — in biology
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. cell — a phone
  15. rash — hasty
  16. kid — child
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. cue — a signal
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. foot — a measure
  23. firm — decided
  24. cell — in a prison

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