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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. rest — a break
  4. bass — low music
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. cold — an illness
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bass — the fish
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. spring — of water
  11. cold — not warm
  12. wake — a trail
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. current — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. current — happening now
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. rest — what's left
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. rest — what's left
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. current — electric

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