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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. swing — to play on
  3. swing — music
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. row — a line
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. swing — in golf
  8. lie — to recline
  9. row — to paddle
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. cold — not warm
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. stem — to come from
  22. cold — an illness
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. stem — a stem cell

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