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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. wound — an injury
  8. saw — the tool
  9. game — a match
  10. saw — the tool
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. wound — an injury
  13. spring — a coil
  14. pop — to visit
  15. fork — in a road
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pop — music
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pop — soda
  21. bear — the animal
  22. spring — of water
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. spring — the season

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