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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  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. mug — a face
  2. kid — child
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — to rob
  5. chair — a leader
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. kid — to tease
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. saw — the tool
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — from a university
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. saw — the tool
  22. degree — an amount
  23. wake — before a funeral
  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