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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. cap — of ice
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. scale — in music
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — after costs
  9. shower — to wash
  10. chest — of your body
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. net — in sport
  15. cap — a hat
  16. scale — size or range
  17. chest — a box
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. chest — of your body
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. cap — a lid
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. shower — rain

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