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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: ruler · track · chair · fine · wound · mine · object · rush

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. object — to protest
  5. track — a path
  6. wound — an injury
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. wound — an injury
  9. fine — all right
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. object — an aim
  12. track — a song
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. rush — hurry
  15. chair — a leader
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. track — to keep track
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. object — a thing
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fine — a penalty

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