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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: leaves · chair · ruler · straw · stem · temple · pitch · net

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. net — in sport
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. chair — a leader
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — after costs
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. pitch — completely
  22. stem — to come from
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. leaves — lets stay

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