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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. roll — a list
  5. wind — moving air
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. sharp — clever
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bound — tied together
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bound — obliged
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. wind — moving air
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bound — certain
  20. rash — a series
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wind — to turn a key

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