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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — the animal
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. mug — a face
  18. foot — a measure
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mug — a cup
  22. lean — to bend
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. mug — to rob

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