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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. drill — the tool
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. rock — a stone
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. chest — a box
  9. drill — a practice
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rock — music
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. chest — of your body
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. row — to paddle
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. dip — to sink
  20. saw — the tool
  21. chest — of your body
  22. row — a line
  23. chair — a leader
  24. drill — army training

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