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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: chair · stick · bay · mine · kid · sharp · hand · ruler

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. chair — a leader
  7. sharp — clever
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. mine — for digging
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. kid — child
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. hand — in cards
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. hand — help
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. kid — to tease

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