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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. last — final
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a leader
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — in sport
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. last — finally
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. last — to go on
  17. wound — an injury
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. scale — in music
  20. stand — to bear
  21. wound — an injury
  22. scale — size or range
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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