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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. cold — an illness
  3. can — a tin
  4. march — music
  5. bank — for money
  6. pit — in a race
  7. ball — a great time
  8. march — the month
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. pit — a hole
  11. ball — a dance
  12. chair — a leader
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. can — to be able to
  16. march — the month
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. can — a tin
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — of a river
  24. chair — to sit on

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