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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. object — an aim
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — thin
  6. bat — the animal
  7. lean — to bend
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. fork — in a road
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. cue — a hint
  12. object — a thing
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. object — to protest
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cue — a signal
  24. chair — to sit on

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