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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. foot — a measure
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. sharp — clever
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. wax — to grow
  20. fine — high quality
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. fine — all right
  24. ruler — a monarch

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