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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: lie · bass · rule · ground · mark · tear · roll · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. rule — a law
  4. roll — a list
  5. mark — a trace
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. rule — government
  9. mark — a grade
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. ground — a position
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. lie — to recline
  14. tear — from crying
  15. roll — a cake
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. bass — low music
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. bass — the fish
  24. tear — to rip

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