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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. swing — in golf
  4. fine — all right
  5. row — to paddle
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. mate — to breed
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. march — music
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. cell — a phone
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. cell — in biology
  15. swing — to play on
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. march — the month
  18. mate — a friend
  19. row — a line
  20. march — the month
  21. swing — music
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mate — a partner
  24. fine — high quality

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