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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 ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. mark — a trace
  7. wind — moving air
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mark — a grade
  11. wax — to grow
  12. hand — in cards
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — for digging
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. hand — help
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wax — in the ear

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