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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rash — hasty
  3. tear — to rip
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. rest — what's left
  7. spell — a short time
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. tear — from crying
  10. net — after costs
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rash — a series
  14. tear — from crying
  15. spell — magic
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. net — in sport
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. rest — what's left
  21. spell — letters
  22. net — for catching
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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