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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. bark — to shout
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. march — the month
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a ring
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. file — a document
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. file — a line of people
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. file — a tool
  14. march — music
  15. band — a music group
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. pitch — completely
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. cold — not warm
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. cold — an illness
  23. march — the month
  24. cold — the Cold War

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