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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bat — the animal
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ball — a great time
  5. squash — to crush
  6. present — a gift
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. march — the month
  9. rule — a law
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. squash — the sport
  12. march — music
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. rule — government
  21. march — the month
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. present — the time now
  24. ball — a round shape

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