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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. stand — to bear
  5. kick — in football
  6. chair — a leader
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. lean — to bend
  9. plane — a tool
  10. bass — the fish
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. lean — thin
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bass — low music

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