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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. prune — to trim
  3. suit — clothes
  4. lean — thin
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rule — a law
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. suit — in cards
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. suit — to fit
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chest — a box
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. lean — to bend
  17. pitch — completely
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. rule — government
  24. chest — of your body

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