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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  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. wound — an injury
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. chip — for betting
  7. shower — to wash
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. shower — rain
  10. object — a thing
  11. object — an aim
  12. snap — to click
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. drill — a practice
  15. object — to protest
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. drill — the tool
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. wound — an injury
  21. drill — army training
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — an explosive
  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