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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rock — a stone
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. chair — a leader
  7. row — a line
  8. foot — a measure
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. tear — to rip
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — a committee
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — to paddle
  21. board — to get on
  22. mine — for digging
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. rash — hasty

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