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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. march — music
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. hand — help
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. press — a publisher
  7. bat — the animal
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. rash — hasty
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. press — newspapers
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. march — the month
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. scale — size or range
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. press — to push
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. scale — in music
  23. march — the month
  24. rash — a series

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