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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 116 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  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. rock — music
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. spring — the season
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. cue — for pool
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. cue — a signal
  10. spring — of water
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. dip — to sink
  14. drill — army training
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. spring — a coil
  18. drill — a practice
  19. cue — a hint
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. rock — a stone
  23. drill — the tool
  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