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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. roll — a cake
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. face — to confront
  7. track — to keep track
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. track — a song
  10. face — part of the head
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. face — to point toward
  17. chest — of your body
  18. saw — the tool
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. cap — a hat
  21. track — a path
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cap — a lid

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