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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. land — ground
  8. rock — a stone
  9. sharp — clever
  10. march — music
  11. cell — a phone
  12. land — to come down
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. chair — a leader
  19. rock — music
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. land — a country
  24. sharp — exactly

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