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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. can — a tin
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. can — a tin
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. stand — to bear
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to bend
  14. can — to be able to
  15. date — the fruit
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. cell — a phone
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. cell — in biology

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