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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 · bear · toast · bore · bass · wave · rule · cue

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. bass — low music
  4. cue — a signal
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. cue — for pool
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bear — the animal
  12. chair — a leader
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. toast — bread
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bear — the animal
  21. rule — a law
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. chair — to sit on

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