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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: kid · chair · stand · bore · ruler · land · bass · sharp

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. land — to come down
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bass — low music
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. land — ground
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bass — the fish
  19. land — a country
  20. stand — to bear
  21. chair — a leader
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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