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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 116 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. firm — a company
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. firm — steady
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. suit — to fit
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. firm — decided
  10. suit — clothes
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. snap — to click
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. kid — child
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. suit — in cards
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. fork — in a road
  23. kid — to tease
  24. fork — a garden tool

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