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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. vault — a safe
  8. fork — in a road
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. march — the month
  17. pop — music
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. march — the month
  21. sharp — clever
  22. pop — to visit
  23. march — music
  24. tear — from crying

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