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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. fall — to drop
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. mark — a trace
  5. roll — a list
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. fall — to drop
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. chair — a leader
  10. fall — the season
  11. pitch — completely
  12. roll — a cake
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. fork — in a road
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mark — a grade
  23. bat — the animal
  24. pitch — a sports field

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