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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 116 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. rule — a law
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rash — a series
  6. bass — low music
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — the fish
  10. mine — for digging
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — clever
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bear — the animal
  19. rule — government
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. bear — the animal
  22. rash — hasty
  23. chair — a leader
  24. wave — with your hand

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