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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.

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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. cold — not warm
  4. fall — to drop
  5. scale — in music
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — part of the head
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. rash — a series
  13. scale — size or range
  14. face — to confront
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. fall — the season
  17. rash — hasty
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. cold — an illness
  23. wake — a trail
  24. fall — to drop

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