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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 116 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. hand — in cards
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mate — a partner
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — rain
  7. chair — a leader
  8. tube — the underground
  9. hand — help
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. shower — to wash
  15. mate — to breed
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. tube — a container
  19. mate — a friend
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. wound — an injury
  23. dip — to sink
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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