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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: wind · lean · chair · arm · straw · can · dip · bat

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. lean — thin
  3. bat — the animal
  4. can — to be able to
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. wind — moving air
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. wind — moving air
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. chair — a leader
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. lean — to bend
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. dip — to sink

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