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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: present · date · cell · roll · ruler · chair · stick · tube

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. cell — in biology
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. present — there
  7. tube — a container
  8. chair — a leader
  9. date — the fruit
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. roll — a cake
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. present — a gift
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. roll — a list
  20. cell — a phone
  21. present — the time now
  22. tube — the underground
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. cell — in a prison

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