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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: sharp · chair · foot · straw · ruler · pitcher · wound · nail

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. foot — a measure
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. chair — a leader
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. wound — an injury
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. wound — an injury
  24. ruler — a monarch

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