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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: row · toast · rash · fork · ruler · rock · net · chair

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. toast — bread
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rock — music
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. chair — a leader
  11. rock — a stone
  12. net — for catching
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. rash — a series
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a line
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. net — after costs
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. fork — in a road
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. ruler — for measuring

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