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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  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. row — a quarrel
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rock — a stone
  6. file — a line of people
  7. row — a line
  8. track — a path
  9. march — music
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. track — to keep track
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. march — the month
  15. rock — music
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. file — a document
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. file — a tool
  20. track — a song
  21. chair — a leader
  22. march — the month
  23. row — to paddle
  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