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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. firm — a company
  3. lean — to bend
  4. staff — employees
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. cap — a hat
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — a leader
  12. capital — a city
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a line
  17. lean — thin
  18. sharp — clever
  19. capital — money
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. cap — a lid
  22. firm — steady
  23. firm — decided
  24. cap — of ice

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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