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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. row — to paddle
  3. degree — from a university
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. cap — of ice
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. chair — a leader
  11. row — a line
  12. cap — a hat
  13. rule — a law
  14. rush — hurry
  15. spell — letters
  16. cap — a lid
  17. spell — magic
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. degree — an amount
  20. lean — thin
  21. degree — temperature
  22. lean — to bend
  23. rule — government
  24. chair — a professorship

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