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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. pit — in a race
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. mark — a trace
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. pit — a hole
  12. cold — an illness
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. mark — a grade
  15. pitch — completely
  16. ball — a great time
  17. cold — not warm
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. ball — a dance
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — hasty
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. rash — a series
  24. fork — in a road

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