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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — of water
  7. pit — a hole
  8. wind — moving air
  9. chest — a box
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. spring — the season
  12. root — the cause
  13. rule — government
  14. chest — of your body
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. craft — boats
  17. pit — in a race
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. root — of a plant
  21. wind — moving air
  22. craft — a skill
  23. rule — a law
  24. root — of a word

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