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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. face — to point toward
  3. ground — the earth
  4. cell — in biology
  5. tube — a container
  6. rash — hasty
  7. face — to confront
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. cell — a phone
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. mate — a friend
  14. hand — help
  15. rash — a series
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. hand — in cards
  18. face — part of the head
  19. mate — to breed
  20. ground — crushed
  21. mate — a partner
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. tube — the underground
  24. ground — a position

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