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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. face — part of the head
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mine — for digging
  5. fall — to drop
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. spring — a coil
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. fall — the season
  14. face — to point toward
  15. sharp — clever
  16. face — to confront
  17. spring — the season
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. row — a line
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. spring — of water

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