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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. chair — a leader
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. fall — to drop
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. spring — of water
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. spring — the season
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. fall — the season
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. mark — a trace
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. spring — a coil
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mark — a grade

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