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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. swing — to play on
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. march — the month
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. march — the month
  11. chair — a leader
  12. lie — to recline
  13. bark — to shout
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. march — music
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. swing — music
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. swing — in golf
  24. rash — on the skin

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