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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. row — to paddle
  4. net — after costs
  5. chest — of your body
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pit — a hole
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. row — a line
  13. net — in sport
  14. pit — in a race
  15. deal — to handle
  16. field — a subject
  17. squash — to crush
  18. chest — of your body
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — for sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. chest — a box
  23. squash — the sport
  24. ruler — a monarch

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