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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: stand · ruler · chair · leaves · lie · root · pitch · bat

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. root — of a word
  3. bat — the animal
  4. chair — a leader
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. root — of a plant
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. pitch — completely
  14. lie — to recline
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. root — the cause
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. bat — in an idiom

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