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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: tube · pit · bat · lean · chair · ruler · fall · cue

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. tube — the underground
  3. fall — the season
  4. pit — in a race
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. pit — a hole
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. cue — for pool
  9. lean — to bend
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. chair — a leader
  17. fall — to drop
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. cue — a hint
  20. lean — thin
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. cue — a signal
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. bat — the animal

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