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

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. hand — help
  8. bound — obliged
  9. march — the month
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. land — a country
  12. hand — in cards
  13. march — music
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — ground
  16. chair — a leader
  17. net — after costs
  18. march — the month
  19. bound — tied together
  20. net — in sport
  21. bound — certain
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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