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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. rule — government
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. chair — a leader
  11. pitch — completely
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ground — crushed
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. ground — a position
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fork — in a road
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in biology

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