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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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Word bank
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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: hand · firm · ball · foot · row · roll · chair · tube

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. foot — a measure
  3. ball — a great time
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. tube — the underground
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. ball — a dance
  10. row — a line
  11. roll — a list
  12. firm — decided
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. tube — a container
  16. hand — in cards
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. roll — a cake
  20. hand — help
  21. firm — a company
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. row — to paddle
  24. firm — steady

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