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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 124 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. track — a song
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. roll — a list
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. track — to keep track
  13. cold — not warm
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. roll — a cake
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. cold — an illness
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. track — a path
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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