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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. track — a path
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. tube — a container
  6. press — newspapers
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — to eat
  9. press — a publisher
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. mug — a face
  12. march — the month
  13. press — to push
  14. chip — for betting
  15. track — a song
  16. mug — a cup
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. march — music
  20. mug — to rob
  21. march — the month
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bat — the animal

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