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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. chest — a box
  3. foot — a measure
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. chair — a leader
  8. firm — a company
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. mate — a friend
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. firm — steady
  21. mate — a partner
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mate — to breed

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