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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 116 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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bat — the animal
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. fall — the season
  9. deal — to handle
  10. spell — letters
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. spell — magic
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. snap — to click
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. spell — a short time
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. fall — to drop
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. lie — to recline
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. fall — to drop

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