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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. object — an aim
  3. fork — in a road
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. rash — hasty
  7. object — a thing
  8. chair — a leader
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. mine — for digging
  12. land — to come down
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. rash — a series
  16. land — a country
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. land — ground
  21. lean — thin
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. object — to protest

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