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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. cue — a signal
  7. ground — a position
  8. mate — a partner
  9. row — to paddle
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. mate — to breed
  14. bat — the animal
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. ground — crushed
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cue — for pool
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. ground — the earth
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. row — a line
  24. fork — in a road

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