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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. chair — a leader
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wax — to grow
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. clip — for paper
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. rest — what's left
  11. face — part of the head
  12. rest — a break
  13. clip — to cut
  14. vault — a safe
  15. staff — employees
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. face — to point toward
  18. staff — a stick
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. face — to confront
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. staff — employees
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. clip — a video

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