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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. race — humankind
  3. pitch — completely
  4. tear — to rip
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. mug — a cup
  8. face — to point toward
  9. mug — to rob
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. wound — an injury
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. wound — an injury
  16. race — a contest
  17. prune — to trim
  18. race — the arms race
  19. tear — from crying
  20. face — part of the head
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. mug — a face
  23. face — to confront
  24. prune — to trim

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