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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. present — there
  5. prune — to trim
  6. present — a gift
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. vault — a safe
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. fork — in a road
  17. lean — to bend
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. prune — to trim
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. lean — thin
  23. present — the time now
  24. chair — a professorship

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