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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. mug — a cup
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. mug — a face
  6. spring — of water
  7. pit — in a race
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. mug — to rob
  13. pit — a hole
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. chair — a leader
  21. spring — a coil
  22. ball — a great time
  23. wind — moving air
  24. spring — the season

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