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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. track — to keep track
  4. chair — a leader
  5. track — a song
  6. club — for dancing
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. club — for golf
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. cue — a signal
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. cue — for pool
  16. mine — for digging
  17. swing — in golf
  18. club — a group
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. swing — music
  21. track — a path
  22. swing — to play on
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. cue — a hint

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