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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. roll — a list
  3. rule — a law
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. roll — a cake
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. rule — government
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. foot — a measure
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. wake — a trail

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