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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. chair — a leader
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. cold — not warm
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pass — a permit
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. object — to protest
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. object — an aim
  15. game — wild animals
  16. mate — to breed
  17. object — a thing
  18. mate — a partner
  19. game — a match
  20. mate — a friend
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. cold — an illness
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chair — a professorship

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