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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — a price
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. face — to point toward
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. face — part of the head
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bat — the animal
  11. wound — an injury
  12. charge — electricity
  13. row — to paddle
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. face — to confront
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. fork — in a road
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. stem — to come from
  24. wound — an injury

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