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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. band — a ring
  10. chest — a box
  11. firm — steady
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. band — a music group
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. firm — decided
  17. shower — rain
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. firm — a company
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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