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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. rash — hasty
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. stem — to come from
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. kid — to tease
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. drill — the tool
  14. kid — child
  15. toast — bread
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. saw — the tool
  22. drill — army training
  23. rash — a series
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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