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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cap — of ice
  4. chair — a leader
  5. club — a group
  6. suit — in cards
  7. row — to paddle
  8. rule — a law
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. spring — the season
  11. cap — a hat
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — for dancing
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. suit — to fit
  16. cap — a lid
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. suit — clothes
  19. row — a line
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — a coil
  22. rule — government
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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