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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. drill — army training
  7. squash — the sport
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. drill — a practice
  11. fall — the season
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. key — in music
  14. key — the most important part
  15. squash — to crush
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. drill — the tool
  20. key — for a lock
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. fork — in a road
  24. toast — bread

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