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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. last — to go on
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. pitch — completely
  12. rash — hasty
  13. last — final
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. pit — a hole
  19. rash — a series
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. pit — in a race
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. last — finally
  24. rash — on the skin

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