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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  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. hand — help
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. wound — an injury
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. club — for golf
  6. squash — to crush
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. craft — a skill
  9. craft — boats
  10. field — for sport
  11. club — for dancing
  12. mug — to rob
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. club — a group
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — farmland
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. mug — a face
  22. mug — a cup
  23. squash — the sport
  24. ruler — for measuring

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