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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 116 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 valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. object — an aim
  4. row — a line
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. pitch — completely
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. object — to protest
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. root — the cause
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. lean — thin
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. row — to paddle
  18. mine — for digging
  19. root — of a plant
  20. lean — to bend
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. root — of a word
  24. shower — rain

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