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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — in football
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cell — in biology
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. snap — to click
  18. band — a ring
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. band — a music group
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. stand — to bear

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