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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. tear — to rip
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. wind — moving air
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. swing — music
  7. drill — a practice
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. tear — from crying
  10. chest — of your body
  11. swing — to play on
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. chair — a leader
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. swing — in golf
  17. drill — the tool
  18. tear — from crying
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. drill — army training
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. chest — a box

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