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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.

Make a worksheet

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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. pass — a permit
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. ground — crushed
  5. spell — a short time
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. ground — the earth
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. ground — a position
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. chair — a leader
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. spell — letters
  18. snap — to click
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fork — in a road
  21. spell — magic
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — dry grass

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