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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 ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. rash — a series
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. chest — a box
  9. rest — a break
  10. bat — the animal
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rash — hasty
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. prune — to trim
  24. ruler — for measuring

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