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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 116 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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. face — part of the head
  7. cold — an illness
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. drill — the tool
  10. cold — not warm
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. drill — a practice
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. drill — army training
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — to confront
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pound — a weight
  24. ruler — a monarch

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