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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ruler · land · chair · shower · bay · tube · ground · pitcher

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. shower — rain
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. ground — crushed
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. shower — to wash
  11. chair — a leader
  12. land — to come down
  13. tube — the underground
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. land — ground
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. land — a country
  20. tube — a container
  21. ground — a position
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. ground — the earth

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