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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. game — a match
  7. game — wild animals
  8. march — the month
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. hand — help
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. march — the month
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. march — music
  24. lie — to recline

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