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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 116 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: cell · snap · ruler · fine · pitcher · squash · pound · chair

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. chair — a leader
  6. pound — a weight
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. fine — high quality
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. cell — in biology
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. fine — all right
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. squash — the sport
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. squash — to crush
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. cell — a phone
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. squash — the vegetable

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