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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 120 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — the underground
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. rest — a break
  7. file — a line of people
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — a line
  10. file — a tool
  11. row — to paddle
  12. file — a document
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. foot — a measure
  18. rest — what's left
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. chair — a leader
  22. rest — what's left
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. chair — a professorship

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