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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  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. kid — child
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. mark — a grade
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. shower — to wash
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. wind — moving air
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. mark — a trace
  17. pass — a permit
  18. saw — the tool
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. saw — the tool
  21. kid — to tease
  22. shower — rain
  23. wind — moving air
  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