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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. face — part of the head
  3. mark — a trace
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. land — a country
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. face — to point toward
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — final
  10. tube — a container
  11. land — ground
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. last — finally
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. face — to confront
  18. land — to come down
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. tube — the underground
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. mark — a grade

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