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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 120 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. hand — help
  3. row — to paddle
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. race — humankind
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. row — a line
  12. last — to go on
  13. race — the arms race
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. last — finally
  19. last — final
  20. race — a contest
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. hand — in cards
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. perch — the fish

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