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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  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. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — for digging
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. land — a country
  7. degree — from a university
  8. drill — army training
  9. degree — temperature
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. land — to come down
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. drill — the tool
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to sink
  18. land — ground
  19. degree — an amount
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. drill — a practice
  23. racket — for tennis
  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