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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 120 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: ruler · club · chair · lean · can · arm · lie · cell

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — a tin
  4. chair — a leader
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cell — in biology
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. club — for dancing
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. club — for golf
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. lean — thin
  17. club — a group
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. cell — a phone
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lean — to bend
  22. can — to be able to
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. ruler — for measuring

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