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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. chair — a leader
  4. mug — to rob
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. bat — the animal
  7. charge — electricity
  8. mug — a cup
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. charge — in control
  12. spring — of water
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — a trail
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. cell — in biology
  20. charge — a price
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. mug — a face
  23. cell — a phone
  24. chair — to sit on

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