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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: chair · band · present · rash · sharp · pitcher · lean · straw

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — a leader
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. rash — a series
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — hasty
  12. lean — to bend
  13. band — a ring
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. sharp — clever
  16. present — the time now
  17. lean — thin
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. present — there
  20. present — a gift
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. chair — to sit on

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