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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. sharp — clever
  4. object — an aim
  5. object — to protest
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. object — a thing
  9. scale — size or range
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. tube — the underground
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. tube — a container
  15. fall — the season
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. fall — to drop
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. fall — to drop
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. squash — the sport
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. squash — to crush
  24. scale — in music

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