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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. cold — not warm
  5. dip — to sink
  6. rest — what's left
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. cold — an illness
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. rest — a break
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. mark — a grade
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. mark — a trace

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