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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. rule — government
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. current — of water
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. current — happening now
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rule — a law
  19. chair — a leader
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. current — electric
  23. cold — an illness
  24. safe — out of danger

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