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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. press — newspapers
  4. wound — an injury
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. net — after costs
  10. ball — a great time
  11. spring — of water
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. press — a publisher
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. spring — the season
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — in sport
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. spring — a coil
  23. press — to push
  24. lie — to recline

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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