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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. date — the fruit
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. fall — the season
  7. mug — a cup
  8. race — the arms race
  9. pound — a weight
  10. mug — a face
  11. shower — to wash
  12. race — a contest
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. fall — to drop
  15. race — humankind
  16. fall — to drop
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. snap — to click
  20. shower — rain
  21. mug — to rob
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  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