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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. drill — army training
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. club — for dancing
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. cold — not warm
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. club — for golf
  14. drill — the tool
  15. track — a path
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. drill — a practice
  19. cold — an illness
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. track — to keep track
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. track — a song
  24. club — a group

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