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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — help
  3. board — a committee
  4. fine — high quality
  5. kid — child
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. kid — to tease
  8. board — to get on
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. wake — a trail
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. prune — to trim
  13. hand — in cards
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. sharp — clever
  22. fine — all right
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. prune — to trim

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