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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. fine — high quality
  3. chair — a leader
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. shower — rain
  8. firm — steady
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. firm — decided
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wound — an injury
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. firm — a company
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. fine — all right
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. shower — to wash
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wound — an injury
  24. ruler — for measuring

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