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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. kick — in football
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. court — of law
  5. rush — hurry
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. chair — a leader
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. plane — a tool
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. bulb — for light
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. court — for sport
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. court — of a king
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. bulb — for light
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. kick — a thrill

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