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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. land — to come down
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. capital — a city
  8. net — after costs
  9. capital — money
  10. track — a path
  11. net — for catching
  12. suit — to fit
  13. suit — in cards
  14. net — in sport
  15. land — a country
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — a leader
  18. row — to paddle
  19. suit — clothes
  20. row — a line
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. land — ground
  24. track — to keep track

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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