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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. band — a ring
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. tube — the underground
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. tear — to rip
  14. band — a music group
  15. tear — from crying
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. lean — to bend
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pound — a weight
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. tube — a container
  24. lean — thin

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