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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. tube — a container
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — certain
  6. club — for dancing
  7. mug — to rob
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. club — a group
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. club — for golf
  15. mug — a face
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. mug — a cup
  18. wind — moving air
  19. tube — the underground
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bound — tied together
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. chair — a leader

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