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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  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. ruler — a monarch
  2. firm — steady
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. swing — to play on
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. rash — a series
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bound — obliged
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cold — not warm
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bound — tied together
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — in golf
  16. bound — certain
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — goods
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. firm — a company
  22. firm — decided
  23. cold — the Cold War
  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