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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. firm — decided
  5. wake — a trail
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. kid — child
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. firm — steady
  13. chair — a leader
  14. rock — a stone
  15. kid — to tease
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. firm — a company

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