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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. current — electric
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. mate — to breed
  6. wound — an injury
  7. current — of water
  8. current — happening now
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mate — a partner
  11. march — music
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. mate — a friend
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. can — to be able to
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. can — a tin
  18. march — the month
  19. can — a tin
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. march — the month
  24. hide — to keep secret

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