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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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Word bank
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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 is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. snap — to click
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. tear — from crying
  9. court — for sport
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — help
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. court — of law
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hand — in cards
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. tear — from crying
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. court — of a king

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