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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. face — part of the head
  4. drill — the tool
  5. face — to point toward
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. drill — a practice
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. file — a tool
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. file — a document
  14. face — to confront
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. file — a line of people
  17. drill — army training
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. game — wild animals
  22. cold — not warm
  23. game — a match
  24. coach — a trainer

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