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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 120 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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. march — the month
  3. kid — to tease
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. kid — child
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. last — to go on
  9. shower — rain
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. last — finally
  13. march — the month
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. pit — a hole
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. last — final
  21. pit — in a race
  22. shower — to wash
  23. march — music
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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