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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. sharp — clever
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. snap — to click
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. firm — steady
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. firm — a company
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. field — for sport
  15. lie — to recline
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — farmland
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. hand — in cards
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. firm — decided

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