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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. cold — not warm
  4. suit — clothes
  5. roll — a cake
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. suit — to fit
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. roll — a list
  15. cold — an illness
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. game — a match
  18. suit — in cards
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. chair — a leader
  24. arm — part of the body

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