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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pitch — completely
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. kid — child
  10. face — to point toward
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. lie — to recline
  13. face — part of the head
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wax — to grow
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. kid — to tease
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. face — to confront
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. wax — for sculpting
  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