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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. game — wild animals
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. plane — a tool
  13. shower — rain
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. tube — a container
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bat — the animal
  21. tube — the underground
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. game — a match
  24. straw — a straw man

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