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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. staff — employees
  3. game — wild animals
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. sharp — clever
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. staff — employees
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. game — a match
  17. bear — the animal
  18. row — a line
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. wake — a trail
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. game — a kind of play

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