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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. lean — thin
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. degree — an amount
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. rash — hasty
  13. degree — temperature
  14. spell — magic
  15. charge — in control
  16. charge — a price
  17. lean — to bend
  18. date — the fruit
  19. degree — from a university
  20. spell — a short time
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. spell — letters
  24. charge — electricity

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