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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 120 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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. mark — a grade
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — in a road
  11. race — a contest
  12. chest — of your body
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. race — the arms race
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. mark — a trace
  18. race — humankind
  19. bat — the animal
  20. rash — a series
  21. pit — in a race
  22. chest — a box
  23. rash — hasty
  24. ruler — a monarch

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