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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. mine — for digging
  9. squash — the sport
  10. fork — in a road
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. scale — size or range
  13. squash — to crush
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. scale — in music
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. chip — for betting
  20. march — music
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. chip — to eat
  24. mine — belonging to me

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