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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. file — a line of people
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. ball — a dance
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chip — to eat
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. mine — for digging
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. ball — a great time
  20. file — a tool
  21. cell — a phone
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. cell — in biology
  24. file — a document

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