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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. roll — a list
  4. court — of law
  5. roll — a cake
  6. lean — to bend
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. court — for sport
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. tube — the underground
  11. lie — to recline
  12. tube — a container
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. fall — the season
  22. court — of a king
  23. chair — a leader
  24. lean — thin

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