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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. chest — of your body
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. court — of law
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. plane — a tool
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. wind — moving air
  14. roll — a cake
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. roll — a list
  17. chest — of your body
  18. wind — moving air
  19. chest — a box
  20. court — for sport
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. court — of a king
  24. foot — part of the body

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