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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. wound — an injury
  3. club — for dancing
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. chest — of your body
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. board — a committee
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. perch — the fish
  12. game — wild animals
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. game — a match
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. club — for golf
  18. stem — to come from
  19. board — to get on
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. club — a group
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. perch — for a bird

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