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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. mug — a cup
  4. roll — a list
  5. club — a group
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. club — for dancing
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. mug — to rob
  12. shower — to wash
  13. club — for golf
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. shower — rain
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. mug — a face
  18. roll — a cake
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — the animal
  22. snap — to click
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. ruler — a monarch

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