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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. spring — the season
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. mug — to rob
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. mug — a face
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mug — a cup
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. bear — the animal
  15. rule — a law
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. fall — the season
  18. spring — of water
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. rule — government
  22. spring — a coil
  23. wound — an injury
  24. fall — to drop

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