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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. season — of the year
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. chair — a leader
  5. key — for a lock
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. lean — thin
  8. bound — tied together
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bound — certain
  11. tear — to rip
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. season — in sport
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. cue — a hint
  19. lean — to bend
  20. key — in music
  21. cue — a signal
  22. key — the most important part
  23. cue — for pool
  24. bound — obliged

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