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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. present — a gift
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. mug — to rob
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. craft — a skill
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. craft — boats
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — to wash
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mug — a face
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. mine — for digging
  21. present — there
  22. mug — a cup
  23. present — the time now
  24. ruler — for measuring

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