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

Word bank: chair · roll · ruler · club · race · hide

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. race — a contest
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. chair — a leader
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. club — for dancing
  7. race — the arms race
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. race — humankind
  10. roll — a cake
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. roll — a list
  14. club — for golf
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. club — a group
  18. hide — animal skin

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