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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: toast · fall · chair · arm · ruler · game · lean · bark

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. fall — to drop
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. lean — thin
  5. game — a match
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. chair — a leader
  9. toast — bread
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. lean — to bend
  12. fall — the season
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bark — to shout
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. game — wild animals
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. fall — to drop
  24. arm — a part of something

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