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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. bass — low music
  4. craft — boats
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — to paddle
  7. pitch — completely
  8. chair — a leader
  9. rule — a law
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. rule — government
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. craft — a skill
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. bass — the fish
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. row — a line

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