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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 116 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — not warm
  15. fork — in a road
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. chair — a leader
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. can — a tin
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. ruler — for measuring

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