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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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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. net — in sport
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. spring — of water
  5. file — a document
  6. squash — the sport
  7. spring — the season
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. pit — a hole
  10. net — after costs
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. file — a line of people
  13. spell — a short time
  14. file — a tool
  15. spring — a coil
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. squash — to crush
  18. net — for catching
  19. spell — letters
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — in a race
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. spell — magic

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