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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. spell — magic
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — for digging
  7. rush — hurry
  8. spell — letters
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bore — to tire
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — in sport
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. net — after costs
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bear — the animal
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. spell — a short time

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