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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  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. pit — in a race
  2. chair — a leader
  3. pit — a hole
  4. cue — a signal
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — thin
  7. spell — letters
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. cue — a hint
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — magic
  18. chest — a box
  19. cue — for pool
  20. bark — to shout
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. chair — a professorship
  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