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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rock — music
  6. wind — moving air
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. rock — a stone
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. row — a line
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. tear — from crying
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. row — to paddle
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. wind — moving air

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