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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. tube — a container
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. chair — a leader
  5. lean — to bend
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — the animal
  13. tube — the underground
  14. pop — music
  15. rash — a series
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. rash — hasty
  23. lean — thin
  24. pop — soda

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