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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: toast · fall · rush · cold · ruler · kick · wax · chair

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. fall — to drop
  4. kick — in football
  5. fall — to drop
  6. chair — a leader
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — an illness
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. wax — to grow
  15. cold — not warm
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. rush — hurry
  21. toast — bread
  22. fall — the season
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. kick — a thrill

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