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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: rock · racket · deal · mine · spell · chair · bowl · ruler

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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. rock — music
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. spell — a short time
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. deal — to handle
  10. rock — a stone
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. spell — magic
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mine — for digging
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. chair — a leader
  19. spell — letters
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. mine — an explosive

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