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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. object — a thing
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. tear — from crying
  6. march — music
  7. tear — to rip
  8. cold — an illness
  9. march — the month
  10. tear — from crying
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. saw — the tool
  15. march — the month
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. object — to protest
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cold — not warm
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. vault — a safe
  24. object — an aim

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