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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. cue — for pool
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. chair — a leader
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cue — a signal
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. cue — a hint
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. bulb — for light
  16. track — a path
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. date — the fruit
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — not warm
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. track — to keep track

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