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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. The water is too ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. cold — not warm
  3. board — to get on
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. roll — a cake
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. rash — hasty
  10. cue — a signal
  11. roll — a list
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cue — a hint
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. cue — for pool
  17. board — a committee
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. rash — a series
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. cold — an illness
  24. wax — to grow

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