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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. cell — a phone
  4. net — in sport
  5. face — to confront
  6. root — of a plant
  7. row — to paddle
  8. face — to point toward
  9. net — for catching
  10. row — a line
  11. root — of a word
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — in golf
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. face — part of the head
  19. net — after costs
  20. cell — in biology
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. root — the cause
  24. swing — music

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