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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. squash — the sport
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. squash — to crush
  10. plane — a tool
  11. bat — the animal
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cold — an illness
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. pop — music
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. pop — to visit
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. cap — of ice

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