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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. land — a country
  4. club — for golf
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. rash — hasty
  7. club — a group
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. track — a song
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. tube — a container
  12. last — to go on
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. last — final
  15. tube — the underground
  16. track — to keep track
  17. last — finally
  18. club — for dancing
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. rash — a series
  21. track — a path
  22. land — to come down
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. land — ground

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