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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 120 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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. present — the time now
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. fall — to drop
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. present — there
  10. chair — a leader
  11. court — of a king
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. dip — to sink
  14. court — of law
  15. hand — in cards
  16. court — for sport
  17. fall — the season
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. present — a gift
  20. fall — to drop
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. hand — help
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — a series

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