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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. chair — a leader
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cue — a hint
  7. drill — the tool
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. drill — a practice
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. drill — army training
  15. pitch — completely
  16. cue — for pool
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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