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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. season — of the year
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. wake — a trail
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. hand — in cards
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wound — an injury
  11. hand — help
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. ground — a position
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. ground — crushed
  16. season — in sport
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. ground — the earth

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