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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. present — there
  3. present — the time now
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. chair — a leader
  7. key — in music
  8. foot — a measure
  9. key — for a lock
  10. last — final
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. present — a gift
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. last — finally
  20. last — to go on
  21. key — the most important part
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. ruler — a monarch

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