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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. march — the month
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bore — to drill
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. key — in music
  15. chair — a leader
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ball — a dance
  18. kick — in football
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. key — the most important part
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. key — for a lock
  24. ball — a great time

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