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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. squash — to crush
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. last — to go on
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. last — final
  8. cell — a phone
  9. squash — the sport
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. mark — a grade
  13. last — finally
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. game — a match
  16. mark — a trace
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. game — wild animals
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. ruler — for measuring

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