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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. deal — to handle
  5. last — to go on
  6. mark — a grade
  7. row — a line
  8. rest — a break
  9. last — finally
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. bore — to tire
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. row — to paddle
  15. spring — the season
  16. last — final
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. rest — what's left
  19. mark — a trace
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. spring — of water
  24. rest — what's left

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