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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. land — ground
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. drill — the tool
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. march — the month
  10. spell — a short time
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. drill — a practice
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. spell — letters
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. spell — magic
  19. land — to come down
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. drill — army training
  22. land — a country
  23. chair — a leader
  24. arm — part of the body

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