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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 water is too ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. rest — what's left
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. present — a gift
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. rest — a break
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. present — the time now
  9. scale — in music
  10. chair — a leader
  11. present — there
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cold — an illness
  16. ball — a great time
  17. cell — a phone
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. ball — a dance

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