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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. chair — a leader
  3. net — after costs
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bound — certain
  7. race — humankind
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. mate — a partner
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. net — for catching
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. mate — a friend
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bound — obliged
  19. net — in sport
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. mate — to breed
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bound — tied together

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