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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bound — tied together
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bound — obliged
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bound — certain
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. charge — a price
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. charge — in control
  21. saw — the tool
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. tube — a container
  24. charge — electricity

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