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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. ball — a great time
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. lie — to recline
  5. rule — government
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bound — tied together
  9. squash — to crush
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. tube — a container
  14. chair — a leader
  15. bound — obliged
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. rule — a law
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bound — certain
  23. tube — the underground
  24. rule — to rule out

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