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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. chair — a leader
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. wake — a trail
  16. fork — in a road
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bat — the animal
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. bound — obliged
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. bound — tied together

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