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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. game — wild animals
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. game — a match
  12. press — newspapers
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. press — a publisher
  15. shower — rain
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. mine — for digging
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. shower — to wash
  22. press — to push
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. chest — of your body

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