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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 116 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. ground — the earth
  3. fork — in a road
  4. rest — a break
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — hasty
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. chair — a leader
  10. mine — for digging
  11. net — after costs
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. rest — what's left
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. rest — what's left
  17. ground — crushed
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. ground — a position
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. net — for catching
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. net — in sport
  24. fork — to eat with

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