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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bass — low music
  3. game — wild animals
  4. rule — government
  5. tube — the underground
  6. shower — to wash
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. shower — rain
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. game — a match
  20. tube — a container
  21. bass — the fish
  22. rule — a law
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. rule — to rule out

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