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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — a short time
  8. season — of the year
  9. dip — to sink
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — for pool
  13. chair — a leader
  14. ground — the earth
  15. cue — a signal
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. season — in sport
  20. spell — magic
  21. row — a line
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ground — a position
  24. row — to paddle

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