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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. chest — a box
  10. spell — letters
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. shower — to wash
  14. rush — hurry
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. spell — a short time
  19. shower — rain
  20. spell — magic
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. rest — a break
  23. chest — of your body
  24. ruler — for measuring

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