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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. spell — letters
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. court — for sport
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bore — to tire
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bore — to drill
  12. court — of a king
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — in music
  15. race — a contest
  16. spell — magic
  17. land — to come down
  18. court — of law
  19. race — the arms race
  20. wound — an injury
  21. race — humankind
  22. land — a country
  23. wound — an injury
  24. land — ground

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