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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. ball — a great time
  3. roll — a cake
  4. spring — the season
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. spring — a coil
  7. scale — in music
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. spring — of water
  10. staff — employees
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. roll — a list
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. chair — a leader
  23. scale — size or range
  24. cabinet — ministers

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