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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. rush — hurry
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. swing — to play on
  8. stock — shares
  9. suit — clothes
  10. swing — in golf
  11. wound — an injury
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. stock — goods
  15. swing — music
  16. saw — the tool
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. suit — to fit
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. suit — in cards
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. ruler — for measuring

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