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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. spring — the season
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. spring — of water
  7. swing — in golf
  8. race — humankind
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. race — a contest
  11. spring — a coil
  12. swing — to play on
  13. present — a gift
  14. swing — music
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. kick — in football
  17. race — the arms race
  18. present — the time now

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