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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. sharp — clever
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. date — the fruit
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. chest — of your body
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bat — the animal
  15. chest — a box
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. chest — of your body
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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