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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mug — a cup
  6. row — to paddle
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. row — a line
  9. mug — to rob
  10. cold — not warm
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — for catching
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. net — in sport
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. perch — the fish
  21. mug — a face
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. rash — hasty
  24. cold — an illness

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