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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. spell — magic
  4. mate — a partner
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. spell — letters
  10. saw — the tool
  11. season — of the year
  12. spell — a short time
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. mate — a friend
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — an illness
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. saw — the tool
  23. season — in sport
  24. mate — to breed

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