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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. row — a line
  6. track — a song
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. wax — to grow
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — in a road
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. track — to keep track
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. row — to paddle
  19. track — a path
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. jam — a tight spot

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