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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 120 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. spell — letters
  4. cell — in biology
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. scale — in music
  7. spell — magic
  8. shower — rain
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. spell — a short time
  13. track — a song
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bore — to tire
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. cell — a phone
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a path
  22. rash — a series
  23. bore — to drill
  24. shower — to wash

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