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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 124 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. object — to protest
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. object — a thing
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — goods
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. object — an aim
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. mine — for digging
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — a video
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. clip — to cut
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. stock — shares
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. ruler — for measuring

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