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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. scale — in music
  7. land — ground
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. chest — a box
  11. saw — the tool
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. land — to come down
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. land — a country
  21. scale — size or range
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mark — a grade
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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