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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. present — there
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. cell — a phone
  6. present — the time now
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. pit — in a race
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. cell — in biology
  15. pit — a hole
  16. present — a gift
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bat — the animal
  19. march — the month
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. march — music
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. march — the month

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