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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. hand — help
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. tear — from crying
  5. face — to confront
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. tear — to rip
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. spring — the season
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. face — part of the head
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. spring — of water
  15. face — to point toward
  16. hand — in cards
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. spring — a coil
  19. wind — moving air
  20. tear — from crying
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. ruler — a monarch

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