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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. ground — a position
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. cue — a hint
  9. ground — crushed
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bound — obliged
  14. cell — a phone
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bound — tied together
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bound — certain
  20. cue — a signal
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cell — in biology
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. plane — a tool

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