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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. chest — a box
  16. rest — a break
  17. bat — the animal
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. rest — what's left
  20. date — the fruit
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. branch — a division
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rest — what's left

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