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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. tear — from crying
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. file — a line of people
  5. swing — music
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. tear — from crying
  8. chip — for betting
  9. swing — to play on
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. tear — to rip
  15. fork — in a road
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a tool
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. swing — in golf
  24. chip — to eat

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