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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. saw — the tool
  5. scale — size or range
  6. hand — help
  7. band — a ring
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. snap — to click
  10. band — a music group
  11. hand — in cards
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. roll — a list
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. march — the month
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. march — the month
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. saw — the tool
  21. scale — in music
  22. march — music
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. roll — a cake

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