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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. tear — from crying
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. drill — army training
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. drill — a practice
  11. can — to be able to
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. rest — what's left
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. drill — the tool
  19. tear — to rip
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. rest — what's left
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rest — a break

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