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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rush — hurry
  4. row — a line
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. object — a thing
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. land — a country
  10. land — ground
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. object — an aim
  16. object — to protest
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. row — to paddle
  20. cue — for pool
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. cue — a signal
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. land — to come down

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