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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. wound — an injury
  3. can — a tin
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mate — a friend
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. track — a song
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wound — an injury
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. track — a path
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. mate — a partner
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. track — to keep track
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mine — for digging
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. dip — to sink

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