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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — to sink
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. fall — the season
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. march — music
  10. staff — a stick
  11. fall — to drop
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. fall — to drop
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. wind — moving air
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. march — the month
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. march — the month
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wind — moving air

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