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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bank — for money
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — not warm
  9. bank — of a river
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. cold — an illness
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. snap — to click
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bat — the animal
  19. rule — a law
  20. rock — a stone
  21. bank — for money
  22. rule — government
  23. foot — a measure
  24. bat — in an idiom

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