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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. cue — for pool
  6. plane — a tool
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. chest — of your body
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. cue — a hint
  11. row — a line
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. wind — moving air
  15. chest — of your body
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. cue — a signal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. row — to paddle
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. pound — a weight
  23. chest — a box
  24. pound — for dogs

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