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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. wound — an injury
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bat — the animal
  9. spell — magic
  10. fall — the season
  11. wound — an injury
  12. fall — to drop
  13. spell — letters
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pit — in a race
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. trunk — of a tree

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