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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 116 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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. march — the month
  3. tear — from crying
  4. march — music
  5. plane — a tool
  6. squash — to crush
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a ring
  9. key — for a lock
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. band — a music group
  12. tear — from crying
  13. sharp — clever
  14. squash — the sport
  15. key — the most important part
  16. march — the month
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. key — in music
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. tear — to rip
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. plane — in geometry

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