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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. cap — of ice
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bound — obliged
  5. march — the month
  6. cap — a lid
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bound — certain
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. snap — to click
  12. bore — to drill
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to tire
  17. date — the fruit
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. march — the month
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. bound — tied together
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a leader
  24. march — 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