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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. fall — the season
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. scale — size or range
  5. chest — a box
  6. march — the month
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. march — music
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. tear — from crying
  12. net — after costs
  13. rule — a law
  14. tear — from crying
  15. chest — of your body
  16. net — for catching
  17. scale — in music
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rule — government
  20. fall — to drop
  21. net — in sport
  22. tear — to rip
  23. march — the month
  24. fall — to drop

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