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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. can — a tin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rush — hurry
  6. pass — a permit
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. can — a tin
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. game — wild animals
  14. tear — from crying
  15. kick — in football
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. can — to be able to
  19. game — a match
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. tear — to rip
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. tear — from crying

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