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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. last — finally
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. press — a publisher
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. press — newspapers
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. last — final
  13. press — to push
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. plane — a tool
  22. sharp — clever
  23. last — to go on
  24. wind — moving air

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