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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bass — low music
  7. spell — letters
  8. stem — to come from
  9. spell — magic
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. bass — the fish
  13. fork — in a road
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. last — final
  16. last — to go on
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. spell — a short time
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. last — finally
  24. hide — to keep secret

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