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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. kid — to tease
  3. drill — army training
  4. net — for catching
  5. club — a group
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. club — for dancing
  9. kid — child
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. club — for golf
  13. drill — the tool
  14. cold — not warm
  15. drill — a practice
  16. ground — the earth
  17. cold — an illness
  18. ground — crushed
  19. net — after costs
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. net — in sport
  24. ground — a position

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