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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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Word bank
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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. chest — a box
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. roll — a list
  6. chest — of your body
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. rush — hurry
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. tear — from crying
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. roll — a cake
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. date — the fruit
  24. kick — in football

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