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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. object — to protest
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. object — a thing
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — child
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. object — an aim
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bat — the animal

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