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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 120 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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. can — a tin
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. lean — to bend
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. hand — in cards
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. hand — help
  11. content — happy
  12. lean — thin
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. content — the amount
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. can — to be able to
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. can — a tin
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. content — videos and posts

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