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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. current — of water
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. current — happening now
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. chest — a box
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mine — for digging
  11. shower — rain
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. current — electric
  14. court — of a king
  15. shower — to wash
  16. lie — to recline
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. court — of law
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. chest — of your body
  22. court — for sport
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. lie — an untruth

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