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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 116 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. charge — in control
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. saw — the tool
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. charge — electricity
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. scale — size or range
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. charge — a price
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. squash — to crush
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. bat — the animal
  17. squash — the sport
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. scale — in music
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. mouse — the animal

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