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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. wound — an injury
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. game — wild animals
  6. last — to go on
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. staff — employees
  9. game — a match
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — a practice
  14. wound — an injury
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. last — final
  20. drill — the tool
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. last — finally
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. mouse — the animal

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