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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: sharp · chair · roll · track · bear · kid · straw · last

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. track — a path
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. kid — to tease
  5. last — finally
  6. bear — the animal
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. track — to keep track
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. sharp — clever
  11. roll — a cake
  12. kid — child
  13. roll — a list
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bear — the animal
  18. chair — a leader
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. last — to go on
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. track — a song
  24. last — final

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