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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 120 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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. clip — for paper
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. face — to point toward
  6. mug — to rob
  7. clip — a video
  8. face — to confront
  9. clip — to cut
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — a cup
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cell — a phone
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. tear — from crying
  18. lean — to bend
  19. tear — to rip
  20. face — part of the head
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. lean — thin
  23. cell — in biology
  24. lean — to rest against

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