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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. plane — a tool
  3. tear — to rip
  4. pit — a hole
  5. tear — from crying
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. rash — a series
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. pit — in a race
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bulb — for light
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a city
  16. tear — from crying
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. rash — hasty
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bulb — for light
  24. plane — an aircraft

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