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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mark — a trace
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. firm — decided
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. firm — a company
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. press — newspapers
  14. season — in sport
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. shower — to wash
  17. firm — steady
  18. press — to push
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. press — a publisher
  21. shower — rain
  22. season — of the year
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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