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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — the time now
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. mark — a trace
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. mark — a grade
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. file — a line of people
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. present — there
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a document
  20. bat — the animal
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wound — an injury
  24. chair — a leader

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