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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · wind · mouse · ruler · chair · present

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. present — the time now
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. present — a gift
  14. ball — a dance
  15. chair — a leader
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. present — there

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