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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. kick — in football
  5. cap — of ice
  6. rock — a stone
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. march — the month
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. march — the month
  13. cap — a lid
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. pit — a hole
  17. march — music
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. cap — a hat
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. pit — in a race
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. mouse — the animal

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