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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 120 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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — in golf
  5. bank — for money
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bank — for money
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. saw — the tool
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a great time
  13. clip — a video
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. clip — for paper
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. swing — music
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — from a university
  21. degree — an amount
  22. clip — to cut
  23. chair — a leader
  24. bank — of a river

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