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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. rule — a law
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. firm — a company
  6. band — a music group
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. rule — government
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. band — a ring
  13. firm — steady
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. firm — decided
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — the animal

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