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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. row — a line
  3. rush — hurry
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — a country
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. land — ground
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — to paddle
  14. wound — an injury
  15. chest — of your body
  16. lie — to recline
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stand — to bear
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. chest — of your body
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. chest — a box
  24. lie — an untruth

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