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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 120 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. bark — to shout
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. rash — a series
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. tube — a container
  8. swing — to play on
  9. stock — goods
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. cold — an illness
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. rash — hasty
  15. stock — shares
  16. tube — the underground
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. swing — music
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. swing — in golf
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. cold — not warm
  24. arm — part of the body

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