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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 116 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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. last — final
  3. tear — from crying
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. last — to go on
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. saw — the tool
  12. board — a committee
  13. object — an aim
  14. row — a line
  15. ball — a dance
  16. saw — the tool
  17. row — to paddle
  18. board — to get on
  19. last — finally
  20. object — to protest
  21. object — a thing
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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