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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. cold — not warm
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. fall — to drop
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. saw — the tool
  13. kick — in football
  14. fall — to drop
  15. hand — help
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. hand — in cards
  20. snap — to click
  21. fall — the season
  22. cold — an illness
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — a sauce

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