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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. cold — an illness
  4. swing — to play on
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. rash — hasty
  10. swing — in golf
  11. rash — a series
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. track — to keep track
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. track — a path
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — not warm
  23. swing — music
  24. track — a song

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