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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. fine — high quality
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. fall — to drop
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. fine — all right
  10. tube — the underground
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. fall — to drop
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. saw — the tool
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. tube — a container
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. saw — the tool
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. chair — a leader

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