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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. snap — to click
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. shower — rain
  6. cell — a phone
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a line
  12. net — for catching
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. root — of a plant
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — to handle
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. net — after costs
  20. root — the cause
  21. shower — to wash
  22. root — of a word
  23. cell — in biology
  24. net — in sport

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