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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. cell — in biology
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. court — for sport
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bound — obliged
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bass — low music
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. field — for sport
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. bound — certain
  16. chair — a leader
  17. court — of law
  18. field — a subject
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bound — tied together
  21. cell — a phone
  22. court — of a king
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. field — farmland

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