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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. drill — a practice
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. chest — of your body
  7. drill — the tool
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. chest — a box
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a music group
  13. chip — for betting
  14. hand — in cards
  15. band — a ring
  16. rush — hurry
  17. chip — to eat
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. chest — of your body
  21. drill — army training
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. ruler — for measuring

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