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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. fall — the season
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. fall — to drop
  6. swing — music
  7. row — a line
  8. fall — to drop
  9. swing — in golf
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — a position
  12. row — to paddle
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. ground — the earth
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. shower — to wash
  18. tear — from crying
  19. swing — to play on
  20. tear — to rip
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. tear — from crying

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