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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 124 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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. track — a path
  6. tube — the underground
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. track — a song
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. chair — a leader
  14. prune — to trim
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. prune — to trim
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. capital — money
  21. track — to keep track
  22. capital — a city
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — in a tire

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