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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 120 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. fine — high quality
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. net — for catching
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. bat — the animal
  7. sharp — clever
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — all right
  14. wake — a trail
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — after costs
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. game — a match

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