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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — in sport
  5. last — final
  6. saw — the tool
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. last — finally
  9. net — after costs
  10. drill — army training
  11. mine — for digging
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. drill — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. drill — a practice
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. last — to go on

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