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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. track — a path
  5. band — a music group
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — thin
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lean — to bend
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — completely
  14. wax — to grow
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a leader
  17. track — a song
  18. band — a ring
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. track — to keep track
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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