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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. fork — in a road
  5. game — a match
  6. march — the month
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. rock — a stone
  22. game — wild animals
  23. rock — music
  24. arm — part of the body

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